Page 36 of Always There Bayou (The BR Bayou #3)

Weddings Bayou.

“Damn, you’re really getting married first,” I say as Harley and I stand behind Simone, watching as she straightens her bowtie in front of the full-length mirror. “How you feeling?”

“Believe it,” Harley says, and I nod. “You and Nala are a match made in Heaven, and we’re so happy for you. Your dreams are coming true. Damn.”

“Are you about to cry?” I tease, and she pushes me away softly with a laugh.

“Bruh, shut up,” she replies. “So what if I’m a little emotional?

Look at us.” She pauses, glancing from me to Simone as she smiles.

“Each o f us has been through so much shit in our lives, yet we managed to find our soulmates. We’re going to grow old with them and start families with them.

I don’t know about y’all, but that warms my heart. ”

“Yeah,” Simone nods, quickly wiping a tear that falls. I do the same, my chest tightening from the feeling building up inside. “We really won at life.”

The room fills with silence as we all take time to think about how well our lives have turned out since meeting all those years ago.

I tried not to, but I couldn’t help but get a little emotional as it started to sink in that these two were my best friends for real.

Of course, Denny would always be number one, but Harley and Simone were like sisters to me.

I wanted nothing but the best for them, just like they wanted the same for me.

So, to see Simone living out her dream and knowing that Harley and I would soon follow…

yeah, this shit was an incredible feeling.

“Hey, it’s time,” Simone’s mom called as she peeked her head through the door. When her eyes fell on Simone, she gasped. “Baby, you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Simone smiles as they embrace.

“Are you ready to marry that lovely woman out there?” she asks, and Simone nods. “Then let’s get this show on the road. I’m so ready to finally have a daughter-in-law. Grandbabies next, right?”

“Damn straight,” Simone agreed before exiting the room.

The next hour came and went by in a blur of sweet words, beautiful music, and lots of tears.

The whole time I was standing on the side with Harley, my eyes stayed glued on Denny.

They looked so gorgeo us today in the bridesmaids’ tux that they were excited to wear after Nala extended the invitation for them to be in her wedding party.

It's giving me so much joy that Denny had been included, especially because had this wedding happened some months ago, I knew that wouldn’t have been the case.

That’s just a testament to how things can work out when you’re open and honest with yourself.

Being in therapy and talking out my feelings, fears, and anxieties with someone outside of my family and friend group has opened my eyes a lot.

I spent too much time blaming myself for shit that I couldn’t control, shit that I wasn’t responsible for.

I spent so much time taking my anger out on people who didn’t deserve it, or letting people walk over me because I felt like I deserved it.

But I think finally hashing out my feelings surrounding my mom’s death was the real eye-opener.

For years, whenever someone brought it up, I’d immediately shut down.

But as I explained everything that happened to my therapist, she didn’t rush me into speaking faster like my last therapist had all those years ago.

No, she genuinely wanted to hear how I felt about the situation, and when I froze at specific points, she only encouraged me, telling me that we had plenty of sessions to talk about it.

When I finally got through the whole story after three sessions, she asked me how it all made me feel, and I think that’s when I broke down harder than I ever had.

I told her how tired I was from carrying guilt that I hadn’t done enough.

I told her how stressed I always was, how closed off I’d become since I was eleven.

I hadn’t realized just how mu ch that whole ordeal had traumatized me until she pointed out the symptoms of PTSD.

Yeah, it was all so scary at first, but after that last session a couple of days ago, I finally felt like things would be okay.

I knew that it was gonna take more than three weeks to get me to the place I wanted to be, but I was willing to work on that.

I knew that I had people on my side who were there for me, and for the first time in a long time, I was okay with letting them in.

Denny came with me yesterday to have a family meeting with not only my family but hers as well.

They stayed beside me as I opened up about everything that had been bothering me over the years.

I told them that I was seeing a therapist and that I was working to get better.

I promised them, just like I promised myself, that I was going to try my hardest to live the life that I deserved to live.

One filled with love, acceptance, and peace.

There were a lot of hugs given and tears shed, but I didn’t mind this time around.

I welcomed all of the warm embraces as my body relaxed.

I felt at peace. I felt calm. I felt loved.

I felt like I was heading in the right direction, and as Denny and I cuddled that night, all I could do was thank them for being there for me since that first day we met on the playground.

They were my soulmate, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with them as my spouse.

“You look happy.”

I pull myself down from my cloud of thoughts and focus my attention on the gorgeous person in front of me.

The wedding had ended a while ago and had since moved on to the reception.

I smiled at the laughter and music that filled the room as I motioned for Denny to sit on my lap.

They did as told, wrapping their arms around my neck as I gripped them by the hips.

“I’m very happy, love,” I assure them. “I feel good.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that,” they smile, leaning down to kiss my cheek softly. Their left hand combs through my locs, and I let out a small moan at their touch. “You look so gorgeous. Damn, I’m so in love with you.”

“Same, Bunny. Same. I can’t wait until it’s you and me standing at that altar. You’re going to be the most gorgeous spouse in the world.”

“And you’re going to be the most gorgeous wife,” they smile, cupping my cheeks in their hands. They kiss me once more before pressing their forehead against mine. “Just promise me that we won’t get married until my Papa gets home.”

“You know I would never leave him out of something so special,” I assure them. “He’s gotta walk you down the aisle and give you away to me, Bunny.”

“Ahh, I’m so excited for the future!” Denny squeals, and I chuckle, nodding in agreement. “Now, how about we go dance for a bit?”

“You know I have two left feet.”

“And that’s perfectly fine,” they smile, standing. They hold their hand out to me, and I take it. “I got you, Corduroy. Just follow my lead.”

I nod and let them guide me out to the dance floor, where a few other couples have gathered for a slow dance.

Everyone around us slowly starts to fade into the background as I hold Denny in my arms, swaying back and forth to the music.

It felt so good to be here amongst all of the people I care about the most. That day couldn’t have gotten any better.

March 28th, 2025

I couldn’t believe it, but three days later, I was at another celebration of love. While this one may have been an elopement, I was just as excited to see two more people whom I cared about take that next step.

When Harley called me last night to ask if I could come down to the courthouse with Denny this morning, I was so confused until she explained that she and Cheyenne decided to have a small ceremony because they couldn’t wait.

They planned on having something bigger for both of their families and friends after the season ended.

I liked that idea and even let it simmer in my head for a bit as Denny and I rode to the courthouse.

Would they be down for something like that?

“By the power invested in me by the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you wife and wife,” the judge said with a smile, pulling me back to the ceremony at hand. “You may now kiss your bride.”

The rest of us cheered on as they sealed their marriage.

It was sweet to watch and warmed my heart.

I glanced over at Denny and Nala as they held hands and squealed in excitement.

Over these last few months, Denny had gotten close with not only her but also Chey.

It was another thing that brought me joy because now Denny had more friends to hang out with when they got tired of me.

They’ve never quite had that experience, so I was grateful to Chey and Nala for including them in their plans whenever they had any.

“I guess it’s your turn next, huh, Cory,” Simone whispers to me as she bumps my shoulders lightly. I playfully rolled my eyes, but there was no denying the smile that spread across my face as they traveled over to Denny once more. “When do you plan on asking them?”

“Soon,” I say with a nod. “I have a few things I want to plan out first, but I want to ask them on the same day that I retire.”

“I still can’t believe you’re retiring,” Simone says with a sigh. “I’m gonna miss balling with you.”

“There’s going to be plenty of time for us to have a pickup game or two in the future,” I chuckle. “But for the next couple of months, all I plan on doing is being there for Denny and transitioning into a more slow-paced lifestyle. I think it’ll be good for me.”

“You know what, I think so too,” Simone agrees, slinging her arm over my shoulder as the other walks over to where we were. “Y’all ready to go grab a bite to eat?”

“Aww, are you treating us, Simi?” Harley teases, and Simone smirks before turning to me.

“Cory is,” she says, and my mouth falls open.

“Now, I didn’t say-”