Page 23 of Always There Bayou (The BR Bayou #3)

Caressed Bayou.

“Ugh, I’m stuffed,” I say as I fall back onto the couch in the den. Everyone groans in agreement. “I shouldn’t have eaten that extra piece of pie.”

We’d just finished having the most fantastic meal, and I may have gone a bit overboard.

All day we’d been out on the slopes, so we were beyond hungry once dinner time came around.

I think we all had at least three plates of delicious, itis-inducing soul food as we sat around the table and reminisced about old times.

We also opened a gift each as was tradition on Christmas Eve.

Speaking of gifts, yesterday I went with Delilah and Imani into town to do a bit of last-minute Christmas shopping.

There was a small outlet mall, and I was happy to see that one of the stores was a toy store.

They were confused as to why I wanted to go in, but after I explai ned my gift idea for Cory, they didn’t hesitate to help me look for a few sets that we knew she’d love.

As the parents handled the cleanup, the rest of us ventured into the den to watch a movie while our food digested. It was some Christmas movie I’d never seen, but I had a hard time paying attention after Cory rested her head on my shoulder.

Her scent invaded my nostrils and fogged up my brain. It was clean and fresh, like waterfalls in spring. Everything about her comforted me, and it was hard to control my heart from wanting to jump out of my chest whenever she was around.

My mind drifted over to the conversation I happened to overhear a couple of days ago between her and my aunt.

It made me so frustrated that she felt like she wasn’t good enough for me, mainly because I never thought that.

I hated that she still had these insecurities lingering in her mind, thanks to past relationships and everything that happened with her mom.

I wish I could take away all her burdens and pain and show her that she was worthy of good things.

I wanted her to know that she was deserving of the love she receives, and doesn’t have to settle for women who only wanted to use her for fame and run through her money.

I needed to ease some of those doubts that always surrounded her like a cloud.

Even though I’d express that we would have a clean start, I could tell she was still stressed about it.

I knew that I needed to make things abundantly clear.

“Corduroy,” I say softly, shaking her arm gently. She looks up at me as a small yawn escapes. It took everything in me not to spend the next 2 0 minutes just staring into her eyes. “Can we go somewhere and talk in private?”

“Yeah, is everything okay?” She asks, eyebrows furrowed. I nod.

“Yes, I just wanna get some things off my chest.”

“Okay,” she nods.

She stands and holds her hand out for me to take before we excuse ourselves and head back up to the room we’d been sharing. Once the door is closed and locked behind us, I pull her over to the bed and we have a seat. It’s quiet for a split second before I talk.

“Cory, I know that it’s hard for you to shake that anxiety of you not being good enough for me, but I was serious when I told you that whatever happened in the past should stay in the past,” I start. “Listen, I love you, okay? Flaws and all, and there is nothing that’s ever gonna change that.”

“But…”

“But nothing,” I cut her off. “Hey, look at me.” I softly take her face in my hand and smile at her. “You’re perfect to me, and I promise to always be there for you. Hell, I always have been. Affection between us has always been a two-way street, even if sometimes it seemed like it wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that even though it wasn’t always romantic, it was always there,” I nod.

I sighed, knowing that I was about to admit something that I had never before.

“Cory, I honestly can't put all the blame on you for messing with my feelings, and I should’ve never implied that. I had equal parts in everything that went down, too. I continuously let you cuddle with me and hold me, even though I knew i t was only ever platonic for you. I was the one who fell in love and couldn’t, no, didn’t want to tell you no.

I knew how I felt about you and set myself up for heartbreak every time because to me, it was worth it to always have you near me. ”

“No, Denny, don’t do that,” she says, shaking her head. I let go of her cheeks to wipe a few tears. “Don’t apologize for loving me and comforting me when I needed it. You are not at fault for your feelings, and I won’t let you feel that way. I used you for comfort…”

“And I used you ,” I say. “Cory, can’t you see?

We’re both each other’s comfort person, and just as much as you needed to be close to me, I needed to be close to you.

It may have been for different reasons in our heads, but at the end of the day, we’re no different.

Both of us felt safe and comforted, which is why we always found our way back into each other’s arms, no matter how far away we were.

You see how I literally moved to Seattle to be near you those two years you were playing over there. ”

She chuckles as she nods. I smile at the memory.

She’d just been drafted to the Seattle Brewers and had to move, but my heart hurt from not being able to see her every day.

So, I eventually packed up and moved out there temporarily to be by her side.

She didn’t have any family there, so I was always at her games, cheering her on.

Of course, her family would fly out now and then to catch some of the home games, but she admitted that she was comforted to know that I was always there with her.

When she got traded to the Bayou, I moved back with her, and that’s when we ended up living in the same apartment building.

So you see, we’ve never been separated for long.

At this point, we were just a n extension of each other.

But it wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how much our happiness was always intertwined with each other.

She needed me, and I needed her. That’s how it was and how it would always be.

“You know, I should’ve picked up on your feelings a long time ago,” she chuckled, taking my hand in hers. “I just kept telling myself that there was no way you’d like someone like me.”

“And the someone in question being an amazingly talented, beautiful, tender-hearted woman who constantly puts others' happiness before her own,” I say. She gets shy suddenly, and I can’t help but smile.

“You’re someone special, Cory Tate, and I love you to the moon and back a hundred times over.

It took us a while to get here, but we’re here now, and I don’t plan on letting you go. ”

“And I damn sure don’t plan on letting you go,” she smirks, gripping me by the waist and pulling me closer. I smile. “How about we get ready for bed, and then I can rock you to sleep.”

“Mm, I like the sound of that,” I flirt before pressing my lips to hers.

Cory Tate - December 24th, 2024: 11:38 PM

I yawn as I lie back on the bed, waiting for Denny to come out of the bathroom. They’d let me go first, but I was starting to regret that decision because this bed was growing comfier and comfier the longer I waited for them to run through their three-hour-long night routine.

Oka y, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but that’s how it felt. Don’t get me wrong, I loved how much they cared for their skin and body, and the results spoke for themselves, but damn. It was a miracle that they were ever on time for anything with how…

“Shit,” I say, quickly sitting up as my eyes lock on Denny as they exit the bathroom.

I probably looked like a deer caught in headlights with the way I was openly gawking at my lover before me.

I could feel the way my heart pounded against my chest as my breathing became uneven.

I’ve seen Denny almost every day since that day we met on the playground all those years ago, but I’ve never been as speechless as I was right now.

Their skin glowed from the moisturizer they always used, and it was hard to take my eyes off those long legs and thick thighs that were barely covered by their shorts.

My eyes travel up to their slightly soft belly and the jewelry that sat snugly inside their belly button, visible thanks to the crop top they were wearing.

They were tying up their hair, so the shirt lifted a bit, and I was blessed with a quick view of the underside of their plump and juicy breasts.

I needed to touch.

“Come here, Bunny,” I say, using my pointer fingers to motion them over.

They nod, closing the space between us as they get closer.

Their scent of cinnamon and apples delighted my senses and made my mouth water.

I place my hands on their hips and pull them between my legs as I sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re so damn fine, baby.”

“ Thank you,” they smile, running their hands over my head before resting them on my shoulders. “I wore this just for you.”

“I feel so honored,” I smirked before smacking their ass a few times. They whimpered. “Mm, that’s my baby. Here, come sit on Santa’s lap and tell me what you want for Christmas.”

“Ooh, okay,” they giggle before sitting down. “So, Santa , you’ll give me anything I want for Christmas?”

“Yep, as long as you were good,” I smirked at them. “If not, then I’ll have to spank you instead.”

“Oh?” they smiled deviously. “Well, in that case, I was sooo naughty. I guess that means you’re gonna have to spank me, huh?”