Rayna

She was standing in front of the dress, hanging on the back of the closet door. She'd had it made just for her, a splurge she justified by reminding herself she was marrying the love of her life. She'd never do that again, so it was worth the time and expense. It was a simple sheath dress that flared at the bottom in a creamy white with a lace bodice and a silk netting overlay on the skirt that featured hand-sewn lace flower appliques. It was off the shoulder with little lace cap sleeves. She smiled, feeling tears in her eyes. I better cry them now, before I have my makeup on, she thought. But she didn't really want to cry, except maybe a few happy tears. She and Deacon had both been married before, but this was the wedding she'd dreamed of and that she thought he had as well. Just then the door behind her opened and she turned to see her sister bustle in.

"They're on their way," Tandy said, sounding a little winded, referring to her hair and makeup team. She walked up beside her, putting her arm around her waist. "That's such a beautiful dress."

She smiled at her sister. "Thank you. I love it." Tandy had been with her for most of her fittings, so she'd seen it as it came together. She'd been grateful to have her sister with her for all of it, unlike her first wedding where the only other one there was fake Elvis.

Tandy smiled back. "And you look magnificent in it. Deacon will definitely be blown away."

"Is Grandmother here yet?"

Tandy shook her head. "I'm leaving now to go pick her up. I'll bring her back when we get here."

She heard her glam squad come into the room and knew she needed to start getting ready. She turned towards her sister, then reached out to hug her. "Thanks, Tandy, for everything."

Tandy stepped back, holding her hands. "You're my sister. I'd do nothing less. And I can see how happy you are and that makes me happy."

"I'll wait for you and Grandmother to get here before I put on the dress."

Tandy smiled. "We can't wait to see it." She leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be back shortly." And then she hurried out of the room.

She turned to her hair and makeup team. "Alright, y'all. Let's get started."

When she came out of the dressing room with the dress on, hair and makeup complete, Tandy and her grandmother both gasped. Celeste had looked almost starry eyed as she walked over and took her hands. "Rayna, you're a vision," she said, a little breathlessly. "I don't believe Deacon will see anyone but you." She looked back at Tandy. "Don't you agree, Tandy?"

Tandy smiled. "Absolutely," she said.

Celeste looked a little wistful for a moment. "All I've ever wanted was for all my girls to be happy and find the love of a lifetime. I was afraid maybe I would never see it, but I see it today. Deacon is a wonderful man and I know he'll cherish you for the rest of your lives and that makes me so very happy."

She smiled. "Thank you, Grandmother." She was very touched by her grandmother's words. She had in fact found the perfect man – finally – and she was ready for a lifetime of happiness with him. She leaned in and kissed Celeste on the cheek. "It's the happiest day of my life."

She stood at the back of the little chapel and looked down the aisle at Deacon. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit, his hair newly trimmed along with the scruff on his face. He gave her a tiny smile and she smiled back. She took a deep breath.

I'm actually getting to marry him. The love of my life. The man I knew I was in love with when I was just 16. How crazy is this? And now we'll spend the rest of our lives together.

She glanced down at Maisie, who was standing right next to him, dressed in a pretty white dress that hit her right below her knees. It had a pink sash that she knew was tied into a bow in the back. She had flowers – baby's breath – threaded through her dark hair and she was holding a small bunch of flowers. Roses and daisies and baby's breath. She felt a giggle bubble up in her throat when she thought about how Maisie had not been thrilled that she couldn't wear a fairy princess costume, but she finally decided this was close enough. She did, however, manage to get Deacon to let her wear her pink boots instead of the ballet flats she was supposed to wear.

And we'll share this precious girl. She and Deacon wanted more children one day, and Maisie had already announced she wanted a little sister, but she surely did love little Maisie Claybourne with all her heart. She was part of the man she loved so much and that made her incredibly special. (About a week before the wedding Maisie had asked if she could call her Mom. She had told her yes and then walked into the den and sat in Deacon's lap and cried happy tears.)

She was getting the wedding she'd always wanted, although as it turned out it didn't matter as much as she'd thought it would. The fact that she was getting to marry the love of her life – Deacon – was all that mattered. Yes, she had the beautiful white dress and the beautiful flowers and all the people who were closest to her there. Deacon wasn't wearing a tux, but that part didn't matter. It was the man that mattered.

Vince was standing to the right of Deacon and Maisie and Tandy was standing to the left of the officiant. It was time. She took a deep breath, focused her eyes back on Deacon, and started to walk, everything and everyone else fading into the background.

Deacon

He'd woken up that morning feeling a little nervous. Not because he was getting married – he loved Rayna beyond anything he'd ever thought possible – but because a small part of him still wondered if he was truly worthy of her. She loves you, you idiot. She's always loved you. He smiled as he heard Vince's voice in his head. When he'd found out Rayna came from money and had grown up in the most exclusive neighborhood in Nashville, he had felt a little out of his league. It had been one of the reasons that, when they finally met that day he auditioned for her bandleader, he'd been reluctant to tell her he remembered her from that night at the Bluebird. Of course, once he'd spent time with her and got to know her, he could see how genuine and authentic she was.

She loved him. Vince was right about that. Somehow – improbably – she loved him, despite all his rough edges. He'd felt that completeness with her that he'd never quite felt with Samantha. Or anyone else. He didn't regret Sam – she'd given him Maisie after all – but Rayna was the one. He'd known it that night at the Bluebird open mic and he knew it now.

"Daddy?" He turned at the sound of Maisie's voice. She was standing at the entrance to the kitchen in her nightgown.

"Yeah, baby," he said.

"When do I start getting ready?"

He glanced at the clock on the range, then looked back at her. "Not for a few hours, sweetie." He smiled. "How 'bout we go out for breakfast? Since it's a big day."

"Where?"

"How about Pancake Pantry?"

Maisie's eyes lit up. They didn't go often, but she loved it. "Yes!" she cried.

"Okay then, go get dressed," he said.

"In my pretty dress?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Nah, just regular clothes. You don't wanna spill nothing on your pretty dress."

"Okay." Then she turned and ran back to her room.

While he waited for her, he glanced around at the boxes stacked in every room. After the wedding and the honeymoon, he and Maisie would be officially moving into Rayna's house. They had been spending a lot of time there leading up to the wedding, but he and Rayna had decided it was best to wait until after all the craziness of the wedding was over. He heard running and then Maisie burst back into the kitchen. She was dressed in her fairy outfit and her pink boots and was holding Rainbow in one arm.

He frowned slightly. "Maiz, let's leave Rainbow at home for now," he said.

She scowled. "He needs to come so he doesn't get left," she said.

"He ain't gonna get left. But he don't need to go to Pancake Pantry. You can put him in your suitcase so you can take him to Audrey and Cole's." Audrey and Cole were coming to the wedding and would take Maisie home with them to stay while he and Rayna spent a few days at her lake house. It's our lake house now, she'd told him. She made a face and then started to put the stuffed animal on a stool in the kitchen. "Maisie, in your suitcase," he said firmly. He hid a smile as she stomped back to her room.

"Maiz, are you ready?" he called out, standing at her bedroom door. He'd sent her to her room to get ready while he got dressed himself. He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, tying his tie, wondering when the last time was that he'd gotten this dressed up. Probably when he'd married Sam, he thought. He'd considered that for a moment before he finished the tie. That felt like such a long time ago and his life had changed immeasurably since then. He walked back out into his bedroom and slipped on his jacket. Now he was waiting for Maisie so they could head to the venue. He felt a few butterflies, but he took a deep breath and then breathed out slowly.

"Yes," she called back.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes." He opened the door slowly, wondering what he'd find. He had laid out the dress Rayna had picked out for her – with Maisie's approval – and shoes and hoped she didn't decide to change to something else. But he smiled when he saw her in the white dress with the pink sash around it. Maisie turned her back to him when she saw him. "Daddy, I need you to tie my dress," she said.

He walked up to her and reached down to pull the sash around her and make a bow in the back. He thought it looked okay, but he knew someone would fix it if it were not. But then he noticed she had on her pink boots instead of the slippers Rayna had gotten. "Maisie, where are your shoes?" he asked.

"I got 'em on," she said, pointing down at the boots.

"I thought you had other shoes."

"I like these. They match the belt thing."

"I think you should wear the shoes…."

"Please," she said, looking a little contrite, which was uncharacteristic for her. He thought about it for a second and decided Rayna wouldn't care.

"Okay," he said. "We need to go then." He picked up her suitcase and she picked up Rainbow and they left the house and walked down to his truck. He took another deep breath before he turned the ignition and pulled out onto the street. This was it.

When she appeared at the end of the aisle, he felt the same jolt of love rush through him that happened every time he saw her. She took his breath away. She always did. She was wearing a beautiful white dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a neckline that showed off her cleavage. An appropriate amount, of course. He gave her a little smile and she smiled back. I can't believe I'm gonna get to call this woman my wife. And love her every day going forward. As she started down the aisle, the dress seemed to flutter around her feet. Her bouquet was pink and white roses and she had some of the same flowers in her hair that Maisie had in hers. He heard Maisie whisper 'she's a princess' and that made him smile.

Everything and everyone else seemed to fade into the distance and all he could see was this vision walking towards him. He couldn't wait for the rest of their lives.

Rayna

Deacon had gone to get her a milkshake – bless his heart – and he'd been gone a while. She had no real idea of time, but she could see that it was dark out, so perhaps it was late and harder to find an open place. She looked down at the baby laying in her arms, sleeping contentedly, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. There was nothing she could do to stop them. She'd thought this day would never come. It was supposed to be easy. When she and Deacon got married, she'd assumed they would start a family quickly. Or add to, really, since they already had Deacon's daughter Maisie. Maisie was an amazing little girl and she loved her dearly. Maisie's mom had died when she was basically a toddler and it had been so easy to take her into her heart. She was spunky and feisty, filled with personality, something that had not changed much.

But she had wanted a child of her own. She wanted to experience that. And instead of it being easy it had been that hardest thing she'd ever done. Harder even than building her career.

At first, they chalked it up to touring and being on the road and schedules being crazy. But all of a sudden 3 years had gone by and nothing had happened. That's when she started to worry. She and Deacon both had gone through extensive testing only to find out there was no obvious reason for her not to get pregnant. They had tried various ways to get pregnant, but she had experienced 3 miscarriages, each time throwing her into a tailspin. That didn't even count the times she didn't get pregnant at all. She tried different approaches. She took a year off from touring, she tried alternative, holistic treatments to help her body be more conducive to fertilization, but no success. She and Deacon had struggled, with him not knowing how to help her and her not being able to talk about how she was feeling. More than once she worried about them surviving it – and felt marginally better knowing he worried too.

They had talked surrogacy and adoption – the next logical steps – but she'd found herself unable to pull the trigger. It wasn't what she'd hoped for, but they both knew they couldn't continue to put themselves through the pain. She had needed to take a break from all of it and Deacon understood. She still mourned the loss of the chance to give birth but had finally come to terms with it. She was ready to move on. They had Maisie and that would be enough. She thought Deacon – privately – was relieved. She smiled to herself when she thought about him. He was not always a patient man, and he had a quick temper, but he had mostly managed to contain it and she knew it had been hard for him to watch all she was going through.

It was hard for her to admit defeat. She'd never been one to give up but 5 years of trying had worn her down. She was 35. When the tour was over that year, she'd felt off. She slept a lot and felt hungover, even though she wasn't drinking. She didn't have the energy to do much of anything. At first, she chalked it up to getting older, even though she didn't like to think in those terms – about anything. Deacon had encouraged her to go to the doctor to see if something was wrong. When she finally did she'd been surprised to find out she was pregnant, but she was filled with despair instead of joy, thinking it would end just as all the others had. She and Deacon told no one else, except for Maisie, but even her not at first, and tried not to be hopeful. But the days, then the weeks went by, and she could no longer hide her condition. It was then that she allowed herself to hope.

Four weeks before her due date, she had terrible back pain and was miserable all day. She worried something was wrong, because it had always been. The next day, just after Maisie had gone to school, her water broke. Deacon had rushed her to the hospital and just 4½ hours later, their baby girl was born, mad as hell despite her rushed arrival. They laughed at her screams and cried as they held her, checking to be sure she had 10 fingers and 10 toes and that everything was as it should be. Even though she was early she was perfect in every way. She felt grateful. It had been a long, hard road, but it had been worth it all in the end.

She'd been up and down with her all day, trying to rest when the baby slept, but she was still exhausted. It was a good exhausted though. Now she was just watching her sleep, this perfect angel. Angelina. That's it. Addison Angelina Claybourne. She and Deacon had decided on Addison but had drawn a blank on a middle name. She hoped he thought it was as perfect as she did.

Deacon

It always surprised him that considering she'd lived her whole life in Nashville, Rayna still really didn't understand how small town the city could be. She wanted a milkshake, and it was late and most places were closed, but he knew he'd figure it out. As always, he'd do anything for her. So he was on his way back with said milkshake. It was a fast food milkshake, but it was all that was open. He just hoped she was still awake for it. Actually that wasn't completely true. If she was asleep, she deserved it, and she'd earned it. Maybe there was a refrigerator around somewhere where he could put it.

When he thought about their journey, the truth was that it had extended back to that night at the Bluebird, when he was 19 and she was 16. It had been a decade before their lives crossed in a meaningful way – he'd gone through the death of his wife and raising a child on his own and she had been through a marriage of her own and the development of her career – but nothing had compared to the journey they'd taken to become parents. It had been tough and filled with disappointment, loss, and wondering if they had what it took to get through it all. She had told him once that their love language was fighting, and he'd been taken aback by that.

"What do you mean, our love language is fighting?" he asked, after they'd made up. It made no sense.

"It's how we express love to each other," she said, with a knowing smile.

He frowned. "What the hell, Ray. How is fighting expressing love?"

She leaned towards him and kissed him. "It's how we know we're in this for the long haul. We can fight and slam doors and point fingers, but in the end we know we can. We know that the love is always there, no matter what. And then that leads to our other love language." She smiled.

"We got another one?"

She nodded. "It's music. We speak to each other in the songs we write. That's where it always ends."

She was right. They could fight and they knew the other wasn't going to leave, that they wouldn't break each other's hearts. But then came infertility. It was maddening, frustrating, debilitating, and it nearly drove a wedge between them. He couldn't comfort her, and she couldn't express her pain constructively. She'd gone to her lake house more than once, alone and usually for several days. When she returned it still felt like they were miles apart from each other. Not that they didn't want the same thing but the hurt felt like something they couldn't bridge.

She'd done everything, every holistic thing she could find on the internet. She took time off, she tried to ignore it, pretend like she was okay with it, but every disappointment felt like a failure to her. And she felt like she'd failed him. When he followed her to the lake house towards the end of her tour and they finally wrote a song about all they were feeling – a song that took several days and a lot of fighting – they ended up in bed together, having written down everything they were feeling both together and apart, and it was the thing that finally brought them back together so they could lean on each other. The song was never recorded, never performed, and put away, but that was when it finally happened.

She came home from the doctor and looked worse than she had when she'd gone. "What'd the doctor say, sweetie?" he asked, feeling worried.

She stood and just looked at him for a second, almost like she hadn't known he was there and was just then focusing on him. "I'm pregnant," she said, her voice soft and disbelieving.

His mouth went dry, and his heart started pounding. "What?" he managed to get out.

"I'm pregnant, Deacon. About 7 or 8 weeks she estimated." She put a hand over her mouth and choked out a sob, tears rolling down her cheeks. He hurried over to her and took her in his arms, holding her close. "I'm so scared," she whispered against his chest, and he felt the wetness of her tears on his shirt.

He ran his hand over her hair, feeling tears in his own eyes. "I know," he said.

At the end there had been no drugs, no special exercises or treatments, no checking ovulation charts or counting days. It had finally just happened, and they had waited, afraid to say anything to anyone, afraid to hope, afraid it would all be taken away. Again. When they had the sonogram that showed the baby and its beating heart and moving arms and legs, they finally felt hope. And that hope had turned into the baby who'd been born that day. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and smiled to himself. Love language indeed.

He got out of the elevator and walked down the hall. He nodded at the nurse at the nurse's station. They knew who Rayna was, of course, and had treated her like a queen. He smiled to himself. She deserved nothing less. He walked into her room and immediately saw that she was indeed awake. She was sitting up in the bed, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, looking a little tired but also filled with joy. She was holding the reason for both those things in her arms, the beautiful baby girl who had made a quick appearance almost 4 weeks early, as though she knew her parents had waited long enough.

She looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Hey, babe," she said. He walked over to her side and handed her the chocolate milkshake. He leaned over to kiss her and then ran his fingers over the baby's head.

"It ain't so easy to find a place open after 10, but I would have driven to Dickson if I'd had to," he said with a chuckle. He looked back at the baby. "Looks like she's asleep."

"You were gone long enough for me to feed her and then she fell right to sleep." She set the milkshake down and ran her thumb over the baby's cheek. He could see just a touch of shakiness to her hand, quiet proof of just how monumental this was for her. He understood it. He would admit to a lump in his throat looking at his newborn daughter. They'd gone through a lot for her. Actually Rayna had gone through most of it, but now they had what they'd wanted for so long. It wasn't that they didn't love and adore Maisie, but they had always expected to add to the family with a child – or children – they conceived. When the years went by and it hadn't happened, he'd felt like something was dying bit by bit inside of his wife. She'd longed for a baby and while he was happy for their whole family, this was her triumph, her win.

He always said she was the strongest person he knew, and it was true. She always told him he didn't give himself enough credit for being strong in his own right, but he still knew she could survive anything. Which was why he'd known that no matter what happened in their journey to be parents, she would survive. Survive and thrive. And she had, even when she thought she couldn't. She was his hero and this moment was all for her.

He put his hand on the back of her neck and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "You're still thinking Addison is right?" They had settled on Addison – Addie for short – when they'd found out it was a girl, although they'd never told anyone else. Just in case.

She nodded. "Addison Angelina." She looked up at him. "What do you think? I've been trying to figure out the right middle name ever since she was born."

Addison Angelina Claybourne. Big name for a tiny girl. He nodded. "I like it." He reached for the baby. "Since she's asleep let me take her and put her in the crib." For a second, he thought Rayna was going to refuse. She'd held her most of the day, reluctant to let Addie out of her sight. But she nodded wordlessly and he took the baby over to the crib that had been set up in Rayna's room. "Welcome to the family," he whispered softly and carefully placed her on her back. When he turned back around Rayna was asleep. He just smiled and settled himself into the chaise lounger in the room. He closed his eyes, linking his fingers together on his chest, and promptly fell asleep himself.

A/N: And there we are. Thanks so much for reading.