Deacon

He rolled over onto his side of the bed and tried to catch his breath. Rayna laughed softly, tucking into his side. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. "We should do that more often," he said, with a chuckle.

She put her hand on his cheek. "I'm sure it could be arranged." She smiled. "Now that the tour is over, we should talk about what's next."

"As long as it includes more of this."

She laughed. "Oh, it will, my love. It definitely will." She put her arm around him, snuggling in closer. He closed his eyes for a second, feeling happier than he'd felt in a very long time. Having this woman in his life and in his arms was everything he'd ever dreamed it would be. Actually more.

"I love you, Ray," he whispered.

"I love you too, Deacon," she whispered back.

Life was definitely very good.

He left her sleeping the next morning, making his way to the kitchen, and starting a pot of coffee. He poured himself a mug and leaned back against the counter. Audrey would drop Maisie off at school and he would pick her up, so he had most of the day to spend with Rayna. She had been talking about spending time at her lake house, writing together, and doing things together they hadn't had the chance to do while busy with the tour. She had already told him she wanted to put out an album the next year and fill it with songs they'd written together. He'd never been much for writing with anyone else until her and now he found it to be the most natural thing to do. Making music with her – writing and performing – was how he saw their lives together. Along with love, of course.

He heard the bedroom door open, and he looked up. She walked around the corner, dressed in one of his flannel shirts, her hair messy and wild around her face, and he smiled. "Morning, sleepy head," he said.

She padded over to him and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Morning." She looked up. "You have any more coffee?"

"Absolutely." He let go of her and reached into the cabinet for another mug and poured her coffee, handing it to her. She sipped it gratefully. "Sleep good?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled. "Yes."

"You want some breakfast?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Eggs and bacon. That good for you?"

She smiled. "Sounds delicious." She hopped up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar as he got out what he needed to start breakfast.

He started working on the bacon. "You got any idea what you want to do today?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"No idea," she said. "Maybe just see how it goes?"

He grinned. "Works for me." He focused on preparing breakfast, getting plates and silverware along with napkins. When everything was ready, he put the food on plates and set up everything out on the breakfast bar. Then he walked around to join her.

They were quiet at first as they ate, but then she turned slightly towards him and pointed at him with her fork. "I don't know how you feel about this, but I was wondering what you thought about us maybe moving in together."

He hadn't expected her to bring it up right then, but he had thought about it. Logistically it made sense. Although they spent a lot of time together, along with Maisie, living separately was inconvenient. Now that the tour was over, maybe it was time to start thinking about those kinds of things. "That what you want?" he asked.

She gave him a sassy smile. "I asked you first."

He chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess you did." He put his fork down. "It would make sense."

"Yeah, it would, but do you want to? That's the question."

"You're kinda bossy, you know?"

She grinned. "I do know." Then she sighed. "Look, if you think it's too soon, that it might be confusing for Maisie or something, I'd understand."

He thought about that. If it was just him, he'd be all in, but he did have to consider Maisie. "Maybe we kind of ease into it? Now that we're here full time you could stay here with us more so she gets used to that."

She nodded. "I could do that. Or y'all could stay with me."

He thought that her condo would provide more privacy, but he couldn't just pick up all of Maisie's things and transport them. "All Maisie's stuff is here though." He reached for her hand. "I know it might be sort of weird for you to stay here with us – and I'm not saying it would be every time – but this is what Maisie knows. And while I want to be all in with you, I kind of have to put her first. Can you understand that?"

He saw the hint of tears in her eyes. "Of course," she said earnestly. "I'm sorry if I made it seem like it had to be my way. You know I love Maisie, but I understand we need to consider her needs first. I wouldn't ask you to do something that would hurt her."

He took a deep ragged breath, feeling the lump in his throat. "I made a promise to her mama to take good care of her and it's been probably the hardest thing I ever had to do, to make sure my little girl is happy. Taking care of her on my own has been scary, but it's also the best thing I ever done."

She slid off the stool and stood in front of him, putting her hands on his cheeks and kissing him gently. "You've done a beautiful job with her," she said, and he felt hot tears in his own eyes. "She's got such a sense of herself, and she knows how much she's loved. She's a very lucky little girl." She smiled. "We will do this your way and figure things out together. All of us."

As he tuned up his guitar, people were coming in and finding their seats. Servers were hustling around taking food and drink orders as they did. He'd look up periodically, hoping he would see her, but he figured she'd decided not to come. I don't want to cause a scene. Or take anything away from you. I know that sounds incredibly self-centered, but it's not that. He didn't think it would be a big deal, but he wasn't going to push her to come. He respected her feelings. He was trying not to let his be hurt.

He was more than halfway through his set when he saw her come in through the back. She sat on one of the barstools and got a bottle of beer. He let himself smile a little when she looked at him and she smiled back. She could have been anyone just coming to a show at the Bluebird Café. She was wearing jeans and what looked like a t-shirt under her jacket. He could see that her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing any jewelry except earrings.

He did a few more songs, then stopped. He wasn't sure how she'd feel about what he was about to do, but he was just going to go for it. "So, here's a surprise. A really good friend of mine is here tonight. A friend who also happens to be really talented and I hope she'll come up here and do a song with me." He was looking at her and she gave him a tiny nod, so he went on. "Would you please welcome Ms. Rayna Jaymes to the stage!"

She got off the stool, setting her beer down on the bar, and weaved her way through the crowd up to the stage, smiling as she approached. He stood up, pushing his guitar behind his back, as she reached in and kissed his cheek as he put one arm around her. "What are we going to sing?" she whispered.

"What about No One Will Ever Love You?" he murmured. It was the most recent song they'd written together, and it would be going on her next album. She nodded and then they sat down.

She smiled and waved at the crowd. "Wow, back at the Bluebird. It's been a long time since I've been here." The reception from the crowd was warm and enthusiastic. She glanced at him, putting her hand briefly on his arm. "I know y'all have been enjoying Deacon's music. He's pretty great, isn't he?" She grinned and clapped, the crowd following. He gave a small smile of appreciation. He couldn't help but feel like he'd gotten very lucky to have crossed paths with Rayna after all those years and that he'd gotten the chance to be in her life, both professionally and personally. He'd learned a lot about her in a short period of time and he knew that she was incredibly private about her personal life, so there would be no big announcements about their relationship, and he was fine with that. Some day that would probably change but for now he was comfortable. "So, y'all know Deacon's been in my band and when I found out what beautiful songs he writes I just knew I wanted to write with him." More applause. "So we thought we'd do one of the latest ones we worked on together, called No One Will Ever Love You. It's also gonna be on my next album, so y'all are getting a sneak preview." She turned again and looked at him, smiling as the crowd enthusiastically cheered and applauded. He smiled back and then launched into the intro.

She waited in the back while he met with fans and allowed them to take pictures. Once the space had cleared out, she walked back up to the stage. He was putting away a guitar and looked up. "Thanks for coming," he said, with a smile. "I was afraid maybe you wouldn't."

"I almost didn't. For the reasons I mentioned. But I'm glad I did."

He put an arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss. "Me too. I think it went well." He picked up his guitar case and his bag. "You ready to go?" She nodded. They left through the back entrance. He put his guitar and bag in his truck, then walked around to where she stood at her car. He put his arms around her and kissed her. "I'm glad you changed your mind," he said.

She ran her hands up his back. "Me too." She looked up at him. "I loved being part of this with you."

He noticed she seemed to be debating something in her head, so he decided to take a chance. "You want to follow me home?" They were still working through the logistics of being together, but she was spending more time at his house. Maisie was always happy to see her there, so it seemed it was progressing nicely.

A smile crossed her face. "Yeah. If that's okay."

Rayna

She drove behind him from the Bluebird. She had debated about going to the Bluebird that night, but once she was there she'd wondered why. They weren't hiding their relationship, although they also weren't shouting it from the rooftops. She had always been private about her personal life, and she appreciated that he was as well. She had enjoyed seeing him on that stage. It had reminded her of the very first time she'd ever seen him, on that same stage. He seemed at home there, like it was exactly where he belonged.

Being off the road had been good for their relationship. It had given them a chance to spend quality time together, all 3 of them. She'd been grateful how easily Maisie seemed to accept her into their lives. They were planning their first weekend at her lake house with Maisie right before Thanksgiving.

She also had something she wanted to share with him while they were there. A song she'd written for him and Maisie. He'd shared with her the song he'd told her she had inspired – A Life That's Good – and she thought it was beautiful. It had touched her, thinking about how he'd written it without even knowing her. She'd had the idea for her song after a night when she and Deacon had comforted Maisie during a bad thunderstorm. Maisie had run from her room, her eyes wide and frightened, as the storm raged outside. She had inserted herself between the two of them on the couch where they were sitting. Although she was sitting with both of them, Maisie had snuggled up to her and it had given her a warm maternal feeling she'd never had before. The conversation she and Deacon had had shortly after the storm had ended and he'd taken a sleeping Maisie back to her own room had been her inspiration.

"Has she always been afraid of storms?" she asked as they cuddled together in his bed.

He shook his head. "Not always. Seemed like it started back when her mom was sick. And it wasn't storms then, it was how much Sam changed." He sighed and pulled her a little closer. "That kind of cancer is pretty tough. They can't cure it. They can take some out, but it grows back and it changes you. Changes your personality in some ways. Sometimes Sam didn't recognize us, or she slept a lot or didn't talk much, mainly because she had trouble with speaking. It's scary to a little kid and Maisie would curl up with me a lot when she didn't understand. She kind of got withdrawn and she would get in bed with me when she was scared. Later on, after Sam died, storms would affect her the same way, 'specially at night."

Her heart hurt for everything Maisie must have gone through, not knowing what was happening. And Deacon too, she knew, although he didn't talk as much about how it had affected him. "Is she starting to come out of it at all?"

"Yeah, mostly. Storms still bother her and waking up in a strange place. She did it a lot when we were on the road. I'd wake up in the morning and she'd be asleep next to me."

She lay there quietly for a few minutes, letting her hand run up and down his arm. "I'm guessing it was hard for you too," she said finally.

"It sure wasn't easy," he said quietly. He sighed. "I'd been drinking a lot before that, you know, trying to cover up missing home, not missing home, feeling overwhelmed sometimes. That's when Cole took me to that AA meeting and then kept taking me until I figured out I did have a problem. I didn't wanna admit it, 'cause my father was an alcoholic, but I got his disease." He wasn't really looking at her and she understood that he felt embarrassed by it. She put her hand on his cheek, and he looked at her then.

"I've never had to deal with that but I'm sure it would have been easier to just give into it all, so I admire the fact that you met it head on, that you figured out how to overcome it."

"I had to. Even before Sam died, I knew I had to take care of Maisie. I was gonna be all she had, and she needed me to be solid. It's still hard sometimes, trying to be strong for her when I don't want to be strong at all. When I'd rather be able to just disappear and not have to deal with it." He pushed her hair back away from her face and gave her a little smile. "Finding you, having you around, makes everything so much easier. So much less daunting."

The conversation was on her mind for several days afterwards. Bits and pieces of it found their way into her notebook. She was grateful to have finally found him, to have discovered that the impressions they'd had about each other had been rooted in something very real. They'd both gone through tough seasons, although she would admit his had been more devastating, but she still believed in that inevitability she'd sensed years before. She wanted to be someone both he and Maisie could depend on. The word that finally came to mind was sanctuary. I'll be your sanctuary, your safe place to fall.

When she had the lyrics figured out, she had called on Watty to help her as she crafted the melody for it. She had sensed it was a song meant for a guitar, but she didn't trust her own ability, so Watty had been able to take the piano accompaniment and translate it to the guitar and she'd been right. It was perfect. She planned to share it that weekend while they were at the lake house, and it made her happy to think about doing that.

She pulled up behind him and parked, then got out of her car. He waited for her and together they crossed the street, walked up to his porch, and he let them into the house.

Deacon

"Maisie, are you ready?" he called out. They were picking Rayna up and driving up to the lake for the weekend. He had taken Maisie out of school that day so they could leave early and be at the lake by lunchtime. He didn't hear anything. "Maisie?" He walked down the hall to her room, certain she would be doing something other than getting ready. She was supposed to be putting the clothes she wanted to wear into an overnight bag. He had watched the night before as she'd pulled out the things she wanted to take, so all she'd have to do was pack them, along with anything else she wanted to take with her. When he got to her room, he was surprised to see that the overnight bag was packed, although the zipper wasn't zipped, and she was picking up random toys and books and dumping them on her bed. "Maisie?" he said. "Are you ready, sweet girl?"

She turned to look at him. "Yes," she said. He walked in and up to the bed.

"This what you want to take?" He wanted to be sure she had enough to keep her occupied. She nodded. "It looks like a lot."

"I need it all, Daddy," she said sternly. There was no TV at the lake house and when he looked at what she had laid out, it seemed like it would be enough. At least he hoped so. But it would only be 2½ days, so maybe it would be fine.

"Okay, so can you put it all in the other bag so we're ready to go?" He started to zip up the overnight bag. "You got all the clothes you wanted?"

"Yes." She started to put her toys and books into the other bag. She looked up at him. "Are we swimming?" He'd told her the house was next to a lake and she was excited by that.

He shook his head and smiled. "No, sweetie, it's too cold to swim. Maybe next year we can do that in the summer."

Maisie shrugged. "Okay." She went back to packing the second bag and he zipped up the clothes bag and then watched as she finished putting everything in the other. She started to jam Rainbow in, and he stopped her.

"You can take Rainbow in the truck."

She looked up and smiled. "Okay." Then she raced over to her toy box and retrieved the tiara and wand and put them in the bag. She stood back, hands on her hips. "Done!"

He grinned. "Alright then. Let's get everything in the truck so we can go pick up Rayna."

Rayna had been a little antsy ever since they had arrived. She told him nothing was wrong, but he felt like there was something going on. After Maisie went to bed, he found out what it was. They were sitting in the great room after cleaning up and she was perched on the edge of the couch as though she were ready to run.

"So, I wrote a song," she said. She had her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"Yeah?" he asked, smiling just a little. She nodded. "What kinda song?"

"Well, you know, I was so touched by the song you wrote for me. And it really wasn't that I was trying to do the same, but it ended up that I sort of did." She paused. "Something just struck me after that night Maisie was so afraid of the storm and I felt so protective of her. And then it kind of morphed into how I feel about you and what our lives together might be like. And you said something about how hard things had been for you and that you felt like us being together made it easier to go through some of those things." She shrugged and smiled a little self-consciously, he thought. "And it turned into a song."

"I'd love to hear it," he said.

"I asked Watty to help me a little bit with it, because I think it should be accompanied by a guitar. But you know how I am with a guitar." She laughed.

He smiled. "I do." Rayna wasn't as bad as she thought she was, but it wasn't something she felt completely comfortable with. I've always had someone to play guitar for me, so I've never needed to do it myself.

"So, I'll do it on the piano, but just know that if you like it and you think we should record it, you'd need to play guitar on it."

"Okay."

She got up then and walked over to the baby grand. He followed and sat next to her. She had the lyrics and music sheet in front of her, but he tried to focus on her and hear her words rather than read them. She turned to him then. "This for you and Maisie," she said. "It's called Sanctuary." She took a deep breath and then she did a piano intro.

Turn the light off
Go to bed
Tell me all about the day you had
Lay beside me
It's time to rest
You can close your eyes, you've done your best

Let me be your sanctuary
Let me be your safe place to fall
I can take away your worries
The refuge from it all

All this time
We have together
Is our shelter from the rain
I will share the weight you carry
Let me be your sanctuary...

When she was done, he'd just sat there for a moment, overcome with emotion. He didn't quite know what to say. It was a beautiful song and one he thought she should record. That she'd written it for him and Maisie was overwhelming. He'd been right, all those years ago, that what he'd felt that night at the Bluebird was fate. When he'd looked at her, he'd known she was the one and that she was home for him. Time and circumstances had taken them in different directions, and they'd dealt with the good and the bad before fate intervened and brought them together again. She was looking at him expectantly and he smiled.

"That was so beautiful, baby," he murmured. "It means everything."

She smiled. "You like it?"

He leaned in and kissed her. "I love it." He kissed her again. "And I love you."

Much later, in the dark of night, she turned to him. "You know, I've dreamt about you for all these years. And in those dreams, you were always kind and loving and you made me feel safe. But now I know you're all those things and so much more. I thought I might never find you and that I would miss out on that. Everything I did before you just wasn't enough. You're more than enough though." She put her hand on his cheek and smiled. "I love you so much."

He smiled back. "I dreamt about you too. But there was Sam. And then there was Maisie and I thought that would have to be enough. I don't regret nothing I've done, but somehow it all worked out. You're everything and my life wouldn't be the same without you in it." He leaned in and kissed her. "I love you too. More than I ever thought was possible." He pulled her in close and she rested her head on his chest.

Life was filled with twists and turns and their paths to this place had been long and winding. But in the end, it was all about the love and the music that drew them together.

Two arms around me, heaven to ground me
And a family that always calls me home
Four wheels to get there, enough love to share
And a sweet, sweet, sweet song
At the end of the day, Lord, I pray
I have a life that's good.

Sometimes those dreams at night really did come true.

Rayna

It was the week after Thanksgiving. It had always been her favorite holiday, with all the decorations and the Christmas carols and parties. But she had not known how different the holiday would be sharing it with a child. Maisie was over the moon waiting for Christmas to come. She and Deacon had taken her to the mall to visit Santa and she had gotten tears in her eyes as she'd first watched Maisie's excitement and then watched as she sat with Santa to tell him what she wanted. She had not wanted to tell them what was on her list and had gotten Audrey to write it down for her so she could hand it to Santa. Deacon wanted to find the list to see what she had on it, but Maisie had guarded the list like it was gold.

"Do you think she'll tell us after she tells Santa?" she asked Deacon as they stood off to the side watching Maisie. She was dressed in a pretty dark green velvet dress with a white collar and ruffles at the end of the sleeves. Not her usual creative garb, but she loved it because it was Christmas-y. She also wore a pair of silver flats that had some sparkle on them, so a little Maisie magic. "Has she done this in the past?"

"Not this exactly. Last year she tried to keep it a secret, but she couldn't. I was hoping it would be the same this year. But no." He made a face. "My unpredictable daughter."

She slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him. "I like unpredictable."

He smirked. "You would."

"Maybe she'll tell me. She might think I'd keep it secret too."

He chuckled. "Well, remember she had Audrey write it out for her. If she don't tell either one of us, Audrey will share." Just then Maisie pointed at the 2 of them. He frowned. "What's that about?"

"Maybe she's telling him not to tell you what she wants."

"Maybe." Maisie hopped off Santa's lap then and started towards them. "Looks like she's done though." He smiled when Maisie reached them. "All good?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What did you tell him you wanted?"

She shook her head. "It's a secret, Daddy. You'll see on Christmas."

They looked at each other and Rayna just smiled at him.

When Audrey gave them Maisie's wish list, they went out shopping to get everything. It was fun shopping for a little girl and she loved picking over all the clothes that were on her list, along with other toys. She wasn't much into traditional girly toys, other than costumes. They got the fairy princess outfit she wanted and Deacon picked out a strap for her ukelele. Maisie couldn't play a lick but she loved to pretend. She constantly complained though about having to carry it, so a strap seemed just the thing. They also got her some books and she picked out a cute pair of red boots. Maisie hadn't asked for boots, so she hoped the little girl would like the surprise.

A week later Maisie told them one thing that was on her list that she hadn't shared with Audrey. Something they were not expecting. They were eating pizza at Deacon's house when out of nowhere Maisie looked at her father and asked, "When's Miss Rayna gonna move in here?"

Deacon nearly choked. "What?" he asked.

"Can she live here now?"

He looked at her, then back at Maisie. "Do you want her to?"

Maisie was chewing and nodded. "I told Santa…."

"Maiz, no talking with your mouth full," Deacon warned. She was surprised at Maisie's request, particularly considering she was almost 5. Although Maisie was surprisingly intuitive so maybe it shouldn't have been.

Maisie scowled but finished her bite and swallowed. "I told Santa I wanted us to be here together. He said okay."

"What made you decide that?" he asked.

Maisie shrugged. "I like us being together. Can we live in the same house?"

Deacon seemed flabbergasted, so she decided to take over, smiling at the little girl. "If that's what you want, I think we can do that. But what if we got a whole new house?"

"But my room is here." Maisie looked uncertain.

"You could have a new room. Maybe a bigger room."

"What do you think about that, Maiz?" Deacon asked.

Maisie looked thoughtful. "Maybe. Could I see it first?"

He smiled. "Absolutely." He looked at her. "I guess we're moving in together."

She laughed. "Funny, but that was my Christmas wish too."

After putting Maisie to bed, Deacon came back into the living room and sat down on the couch next to her. He breathed in deeply, then looked at her. "Was that crazy?" he asked.

"You mean Maisie wanting us to all live together?" He nodded. "I don't necessarily think so. We spend an awful lot of time together and I spend the night here pretty regularly and she hasn't blinked an eye." She leaned in and kissed him. "I think it's a positive that it doesn't make her throw a tantrum at the idea."

"I guess." He sighed. "You think this is going too fast?"

If she didn't know how cautious he was her feelings would have been hurt by that. "Do you? Would you rather slow it down?"

He looked at her for a minute, then shook his head. "Nah." Then he smiled. "It ain't like we hadn't talked about it. I guess I just figured she might not understand it, but I guess I was wrong."

She smiled. "I think she really doesn't understand it, but she likes the idea of the 3 of us being together, so I think that's a good thing." She moved closer, snuggling up to him, as he put his arm around her. She put her hands on his thigh and after a second he put his hand on top of hers. "So what's our plan?" she asked.

He breathed out. "I guess we move in together." He turned his head and kissed her forehead. "You really think we should find a new place?"

"I think so. My place probably isn't really big enough. And as much as I love your house, I really can't live here full-time." She looked up at him. "Are you okay with that?"

He nodded. "I'm just renting this place anyway. I had thought at one time about asking the landlord if he was interested in selling, but life kinda got in the way." He squeezed her hand. "And I get it why you need someplace more… private."

"We could even start looking right away, if that sounds okay."

"I think that sounds perfect."

It was late. She was wrapped in his arms, skin to skin. His fingers trailed up and down her arm. She liked how it felt. His fingers were calloused enough that they scratched gently against her skin, which always felt sensual. He had some hair on his chest but not too much. He wasn't as hairy as Jared which, when she'd thought about it later, was not particularly enjoyable. He was lean and firm, muscles in the right places. She reached up and put her hand on his face, feeling the stubble along his jaw. The skin on his face was smooth and she thought that if not for the stubble he might have looked too boyish. This gave him the right look. He had dimples that you could only see when you were up close. She smiled at him.

"What you thinking about?" he murmured, smiling back at her.

"Oh," – she shrugged – "I guess how nice it will be to share a bedroom every night."

He chuckled, pulling her a little closer and running his hand down her back, settling just above her bottom. "I gotta admit, that sounds really good." He breathed in, letting his hand move a little lower. "So where you thinking we should look?"

She breathed in slowly. She could feel him starting to get aroused and she was feeling the same way. He pressed her a little closer with his hand and she opened her mouth slightly, taking in a sharp breath. "Um, maybe Green Hills, Oak Hill, Forest Hills." She smiled. "Something with hill in it." Her voice sounded breathy to her ear.

He grinned. "You can pick."

"No, it should be both of us." He moved slightly and she bit her lip. His hand slid over her butt cheek and cupped it, then slid down her thigh as he lifted her leg up and over his hip. She moaned as she felt him right where she wanted him. His fingers grazed her inner thigh, and she shivered just a bit. "Oh, god," she murmured.

His face was right in front of hers, his nose almost touching hers. "You want something?" he whispered, laughter lighting up his eyes. That was another thing she loved about him, how expressive his eyes were. Especially when they were focused on her.

"Mm hm," she whispered back. She moved a little so that he could enter her, and he did so quickly and smoothly, filling her up completely until she gasped a little. He waited for her to adjust. He was thoughtful that way and it felt hot. She heard a little moan slip from her lips as she focused on how he felt inside her. She shifted her hips a little, letting him know she was ready, and he rolled her onto her back. He hovered over her, balancing on his arms, looking down at her.

"I love you, Rayna," he murmured.

"I love you, Deacon," she murmured back. She drew her legs up and let herself fade into how he was making her feel.

Deacon

They had spent 2 days looking at houses. On the second day Maisie started to act out a little, loudly complaining about how long it was taking and that she was tired of riding around. At the last of the houses that day she even refused to leave the living room, plopping down on the couch and pouting while he and Rayna toured the place with the realtor. The next morning, she had a meltdown, deciding she didn't want to move after all and was afraid she'd have to leave all her things behind, and refused to go, even when he'd told her she'd be able to take everything with her.

"I'll go live with Audrey!" she shouted, her face all screwed up in anger. "She said I could."

He sighed. As much as he loved his daughter, sometimes she could be a challenge. "No, you won't," he said. "You have to live with me."

She stomped her foot. "I don't want to! You can't make me!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Actually I can. You're my little girl and you have to live with me. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is."

"I hate you!" she burst into tears, then turned and ran back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

He rubbed his face with his hands. Usually she didn't throw tantrums but, as much as she loved Rayna, he knew the changes were a lot for someone her age. He worried they were trying to do too much too quickly. After he'd talked to Audrey and arranged for her to come stay with Maisie for a couple hours, he called Rayna and asked her to cancel the showings. When Audrey got to the house, he drove over to Rayna's place.

He sat in his truck and closed his eyes. He wanted to be with Rayna full-time, but he knew he couldn't drag his daughter kicking and screaming into it. He felt like she just needed some time away from all the driving from place to place, at least he hoped that's all it was. It had stabbed him in the heart to hear her say 'I hate you', even though he knew it was her frustration and not her truth. He sighed deeply and got out of the truck, heading for Rayna's building.

Almost as soon as he knocked, she opened the door, holding her arms open. He stepped into her embrace, feeling the comfort of her arms around him, and he held on tight for a few minutes until he felt more composed. Then he stepped back. She looked up at him, a mix of sadness and concern in her eyes, then she led him over to the couch in the den. She sat close, facing him, and took his hands in hers. "I'm sorry," she said.

He looked at her and felt tears in his eyes, along with a lump in his throat. "She said she hated me," he said, knowing he sounded as bad as it made him feel to say it out loud.

"Oh, sweetheart, you know she doesn't. But she's a little girl and this is a lot of change for her."

He could feel a tear roll down his cheek and he reached up to wipe it off. "I'm all she's got, Rayna. And if I thought for a second…."

She shook her head, frowning. "She doesn't mean it," she said again. "That's just her frustration, I think." She reached out and put her hand along his cheek. "What do you want to do?"

He sighed. "I don't know," he said, meaning it. He had no idea what the next step was, and he was hoping she would.

She took his hand and smiled encouragingly. "How about this – we take a step back and get through the holidays and then see where we are. There's no rush to do anything. We'll just spend the next couple weeks doing Christmas and New Year's stuff and let Maisie get all excited about that and we won't talk about house stuff at all. We've got so much planned that it's probably better to put a pause on it anyway. I mean, Tandy and I are taking Maisie to The Nutcracker Saturday, and we have that Christmas party at her school and Christmas lunch at Daddy's. That's enough." She laughed softly. "Christmas lunch at Daddy's is actually more than enough."

He couldn't help but smile a little. Rayna's father was… intense. His and Rayna's relationship was strained on most days. He didn't approve of her career choices or most of her personal choices. Lamar Wyatt didn't seem to mind trading on Rayna's celebrity if it benefited him, but otherwise he seemed to merely tolerate it. She had kept him away from her father until Thanksgiving, when she brought him and Maisie to Lamar's Thanksgiving dinner. The house he lived in, in the middle of Belle Meade, was large and imposing. He'd had a hard time imagining Rayna growing up in a place like that, filled with antiques and dark woods and filled with an intimidating quiet. She was filled with joy and happiness, very unlike her father and his surroundings.

He was pretty sure Lamar didn't like him very much. He'd asked a lot of questions about his background and where he came from, and he could sense Rayna's father thought he didn't measure up. Not that he really cared. He had at least tried to be kind to Maisie, but she'd told him later she was a little afraid of him. He seems kinda mean, Daddy. "More than enough is right," he said.

She leaned forward and took his hands in hers. "Let's go get a late breakfast. I know you've probably eaten already, but I haven't, so you can just sit and drink coffee and watch me eat if you want." She smiled. "How does that sound?"

He kissed her. "I think I can do that. Maybe it'll give Maisie some time to settle down." He smiled. "And you're right. I think we wait until after the holidays to we find a place."

When he got back to his house, he wondered what he'd walk into. Audrey was sitting on the couch reading when he walked in. She looked up and put the book aside. "How's she doing?" he asked.

"She's actually taking a nap." She stood up and walked over to him. "She'll be fine with all this."

He smiled gratefully. "I hope you're right. But me and Rayna decided to wait until the new year before we pick back up on this again. She thought it might have been too much with all the holiday stuff going on."

Audrey smiled and patted his arm. "Rayna sounds like a very smart lady," she said. "I think you should keep her." He grinned. "Maisie's going to be fine. I think house hunting is just a lot for little ones. Especially ones that have as much energy as she does."

"You're probably right. Thanks, Audrey, for staying with her."

Audrey shook her head. "Anytime, you know that." She got her coat and walked to the door. She turned back towards him. "I'm glad you're happy, Deacon," she said. "You deserve this."

When she left, he closed the door behind her and thought about what she'd said. He was happy. Ever since Sam had gotten sick, he'd spent his time taking care of her, taking care of Maisie, and worrying about what the future would hold. And now he had everything he could have asked for. Audrey was probably right, Maisie would be fine. They had all the time in the world.