Hey! I'm back from my trip. Hope everyone had a good break from school or work. This is definitely my favorite chapter so far and I hope ya'll like it as much as I do. :) Pleaseee comment if you have any thoughts. I want to thank everyone who is reading this story, it means a lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

Previously:

Deacon lifted her head up and kissed her, "I love you." Rayna smiled against his lips, "I love you more."

Now:

Deacon smiled and kissed the top of her head, "mmm I think I love you most!" She smiled against his neck and looked up so he could kiss her softly. "Nope! I do!" She sounds like a cute three year old he thought. Deacon smiled at her cuteness, "Okay, I'll call a truce. We love each other the same. Does that work for ya darling?" Rayna nodded and kissed him. Then she stepped back, "okay I'm stopping cuz I want those shoes!" Deacon chuckled and looked at the ceiling shaking his head, "as you said before, it's just kissing." She smiled and took his line, "we all know where that leads. Especially with the two of us." He laughed and she laughed too.

"I'm going to get some firewood." Deacon was going to walk out the door and smiled when he felt Rayna's hand slide through his. "I'm comin' too I wanna stay with you for these three days. All the time." Deacon kissed her cheek, "me too babe." Rayna smiled up at him and opened the door. They walked outside and went to the back of the house to get the firewood. Deacon had built a little shed and kept it in there so that it wouldn't get wet when it rained. They both took some wood and walked back into the house. Deacon went to start the fire and Rayna sat next to him, "I'm going to take a shower while you get this started." Deacon gave her a mischievous smile, "does that mean I get to come with you since you don't want to be away from me for three days." Rayna smiled and contemplated this. She wanted so much to take a shower with him but she really wanted to keep their agreement because she wanted to heal their emotional relationship and start fresh. She looked up at him, "I want you to join me but I want you to understand why we made this agreement." He smiled back, "I know why Ray, cuz you want us to start fresh in the emotional sense. I get it. But can I still join you? I promise I'll be good. If you don't start anythin' I won't either." "I'm glad you get it babe and okayyyy I guess you can join me. Should we keep our underwear on?" She was joking of course and they laughed.

They washed themselves and then Rayna got Deacon's back for him massaging softly and he washed her back and did the same for her. Then Rayna turned around and Deacon saw a tear roll down her cheek. Deacon gave her a confused look, not knowing why she was crying. She rapped her arms around his waist and looked into his eyes, "you make me so happy and I'm just so sorry that I put you through so much pain because I didn't wait for you. It's my fault that we missed thirteen years of our life together. If you hurt I hurt too. You have my heart babe and I know I have yours and I'm sorry that it's broken cuz of me. I know you got sober for me because you wanted to start a family with me and I just wish I'de have waited because a family with you has always been my dream. I'm going to try so hard to make up for the time we lost. I love you so so much. You always took care of me with everything and you helped me through everything. I never told you this but every night when I went to sleep I would wish that you were there just to tell me you loved me too. In the mornings sometimes, I wished you were there to kiss me good morning because a good morning from you starts my day with a smile. I can't believe I ever put us through those years and I can't imagine what you went through when you saw me with Teddy. It hurt me so much when you were with Megan and when I gave you that ring back I don't even know why I did it. Please tell me you still have it." She was rambling and tears were still rolling down her cheeks. Deacon put a finger to her lips to silence her, "first of all, I need you to stop crying baby." He kissed her eyes and then her cheeks. "Second of all, I put you through pain too and I'm sorry about that everyday too. You also make me so happy and yes you hold my heart just as I hold yours." He pecked her lips and kept going, "being with you right now is mending my heart but I just need to make sure it won't be broken again. I'm beginning to trust you fully. I know you won't leave me anymore and I promise you that too. I love you so much too. We have the same dreams because you're always in mine. About the ring, I threw it to the side of the road when you left and I stood there for another 15 minutes and before I left I looked for it and found it." Her eyes lit up when she heard that he had the ring. He smiled at her but then she though that he still didn't trust her completely and so she gave him a weak smile back, "thank you for trying to trust me again. I know that keeping Maddie a secret was wrong and I know that that hurt you. I just want you two to have a relationship from now on, it's not too late." "I want that too Ray and I want you to be there too." Rayna kissed the dip in between Deacon's collar bones and then stepped on her toes to kiss him with the warm water still rushing over them. "I'm not going anywhere babe." He kissed her back and mumbled a good. She smiled and mumbled against his lips, "wanna get out of here and in front of that warm fire?" "Mhm," Deacon grabbed the two towels that were hanging and rapped one around Rayna first. He is so considerate of me she thought to herself, how did I live without this man?

Then he took a towel and rapped it around his waist and he led her towards the bedroom so they could get dressed. Deacon put on a clean pair of boxers and a T-shirt and Rayna looked through her bag but didn't find anything she wanted to wear so she opened the drawer that held her clothes as a reflex. Deacon was surprised to see her open that drawer and she realized that he would be so she looked at him and smiled, "I saw this the first night, before you got here." Deacon was a little embarrassed and he looked at the floor. Rayna smiled and put a hand on his cheek and he looked up and smiled at her too. He didn't feel like any words were needed so he waited for her to get dressed. She looked through the drawer and found an old pair of her pyjama shorts and an old tank top and she slipped them on. Deacon felt like wrapping his arms around her and taking those clothes right back off of her because her legs looked so long in those shorts and he could see that she hadn't put on a bra but he tried hard to ignored his desires. She could see that he was looking at her and knew what he was thinking so she decided to put him on the spot, "what?" She asked batting her eyelashes at him. "You know what." "M-m," she said shaking her head with a cheeky grin. Deacon walked up to her and kissed her from her lips to her ear and whispered, "if you want to keep this little agreement of yours, you shouldn't be making this harder." He ran his fingertips softly up and down her thighs and she inhaled sharply, closing her eyes. "You're right. I'll just wear this instead." She slipped her hands under his shirt and slipped it off of him and he groaned. She giggled and slipped off her tank top and put his shirt on instead. She chucked her tank top at him and he caught it. "Rayna," he said with a warning tone. "Yes babe? I changed, isn't that what you wanted?" She replied sweetly and slipped off her shorts so she could get her long pyjama pants back on. Deacon was looking at her the whole time and groaned again. She smiled, loving the effect she had on him and walked to the bathroom where she slipped the pants back on. Deacon shook his head surrendering and walked to the kitchen where he started the coffee machine. Rayna got her phone and when she walked in the kitchen she saw Deacon hadn't put a shirt back on and she admired all the muscles in his back and arms. He looks so good she thought. She walked up to him and slipped her hands around his waist from behind, her arms tightened around him. She left feather like kisses on his shoulder blades and when she got close to his ear she whispered, "this is hard for me too babe. Especially since you decided to make this harder for me." He chuckled and looked back at her and kissed her lips. "I did it on purpose," he mumbled against her lips and she giggled. She reached up and ran her hand through his hair and looked into his blue eyes, "I'm glad you're here with me. You feel like home." "Mmm you feel like home too Ray." They smiled at each other with total bliss and then Rayna unwrapped herself and shivered from the lack of contact. She went into the cabinet and laughed. Deacon turned and laughed too. She was holding a Minnie Mouse and a Micky Mouse mug in each of her hands, "you kept these? I was wondering where they had ended up in." "Yeah we brought them here after the show in Florida that we did." "I love these mugs, they are adorable." He touched the tip of her nose with his finger, "mhm just like you." She giggled and handed him the Micky mug. They made their coffees and went to sit on the couch. "I need to call Tandy. Did the reception get any better here? The best spot for calling was always in the living room so I guess things haven't changed." "Nope they haven't. It's the same old cabin." Rayna laughed and stretched her legs out over Deacon's and rested her back against the arm rest. She called Tandy.
Rayna: "Hey!"
Tandy: "Wow! You sound happy!"
Rayna laughed: "I am!"
"May I ask why?"
"Ummm yeah. So last night when I came here Deacon showed up and we made up."
Tandy laughed: "Hmm I should have guessed. Only a night with him can do that to you!"
Rayna gasped: "Tandy?!"
"What!? It's the truth you should hear yourself and then maybe you'll get it. Was it great as always?"
Rayna blushed: "Yes it was."
Deacon could hear everything that Tandy was saying since she was so loud and he decided to run his hands up from Rayna's ankles to her knees.
"What are you doin calling me? Shouldn't you be in bed with Deacon right now?" Deacon whispered: we should be. Rayna gave him a look to shush him and he chuckled quietly.
"Yeah but we made an agreement this morning that we would take things very slowwww."
Tandy laughed: "yeah? And how is that working for you?"
Rayna pushed Deacon's hands away with her feet. "Have a little faith in us. We don't just spend our time together in bed."
Tandy: "no I really think you do actually."
Deacon chucked and ran his hands on her stomach tickling her. Rayna pushed the phone away from her ear and laughed, "Deacon stop!" He laughed too and tickled her more.
Tandy: "Hello? I'm still here I can hear you. I can hear everyyythinngg."
Rayna put the phone back on her ear and stood up to get away from Deacon.
Rayna: "sorry bout that. The girls are fine right? I know their with Teddy."
Tandy: "yes they are fine I texted Maddie this morning letting her know where you were. She was fine with it. I won't tell her that Deacon is there too, y'all can do that when your ready."
Rayna: "thanks babe."
Tandy: "of course! Don't keep yourselves hangin for too long with that agreement."
Rayna laughed: "we are actually trying."
Tandy: "yeah okayy. Not from what I heard."
Rayna blushed again: "okay well we are doing our best."
Tandy: "have fun! You need it to relax and Deacon can do that."
Rayna smiled at Deacon: "yeah he sure can."
Tandy: "okay I'm going to leave you to it. Love you! Bye."
Rayna: "love you too, bye."
Rayna walked over to Deacon and sat in his lap, "you need to keep these wonderful hands to yourself."
Deacon laughed and kissed her, "it's hard when you're talking to Tandy about how wonderful I am and how good I make you feel." Rayna sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, "it's the truth." He looked down at her and kissed her, "hmm you should really put a shirt on." "Why? I'm comfortable like this." Rayna ran her hand over the muscle in his arm and shoulder and then over his chest until she got to the waistband of his boxers and shivered. Deacon was looking at her the whole time and loving the feel of her hands on him. She kept running her hand around his upper body softly and wished that she hadn't made the agreement but not wanting to break it at the same time. Deacon kissed the top of her head and ran his hand from her ankle to her knee again and then decided to go higher to her thighs. He ran his fingertips over her outer thigh and then when he got to her inner thigh she lifted her leg a little so that he could continue. She moaned softly. They kept comforting each other and Deacon slipped his hand out from her pants and under her shirt and ran his fingertips on her back, scratching softly. He felt all of Rayna's muscles relax and she slipped her hand to his back doing the same for him. They both closed their eyes to revel in the feel of the other's hands. Rayna wanted to get even closer to Deacon so she decided to straddled him and placed her head on his shoulder close to his neck. She hadn't opened her eyes not wanting to break the moment. Deacon waited for her to move and then pulled the blanket from behind the couch over them. She rapped her arms around his waist and he rapped his around hers and they just sat like that thinking about how amazing it felt to be wrapped around each other. Deacon could feel her breath on his neck and it warmed him up. She heard their breathing level out to the same rhythm and kissed his neck softly just because she could. He also relaxed completely and they slowly felt sleep overtake them. If anyone would have seen them they would have wished for that connection, for that bond. They were so in synch, with every move and breath they took. It was the most comfortable and relaxed they had both been in a long while.