11. Rayzor #2
“I don’t come from your ordinary family.
And you, all of you, y’all took me in. Not because of who I am or what I got.
Y’all genuinely love my ass. That still gets me when I think about it.
I thought I knew what family meant, but all of that changed when you came into my life.
I wake up every day trying to be a better man for you, the better example for the kids.
I never want any of y’all…” I looked out at the kids.
“To ever hesitate to come to me. I don’t care what it is.
I don’t care how you think I’d feel or none of that.
I’m family. I’m daddy to both y’all, and you… ” I winked at E.”
“That’s fuckin’ right!” Suki shouted.
“You’re giving me my first born, and there’s never a word that I can use to describe what that feels like. I’m whole. I was half alone, but I have my rib to complete me. I love you, baby, believe that.”
Eris’s makeup was ruined by the time I finished. It was both the hormones and emotions, but I didn’t give a fuck. She still looked beautiful.
I reached out and caught her tears as they landed on the side of my finger.
“I know we said we’d write our own vows, but my God. I don’t even have the words right now.”
“Take your time, baby. Don’t rush,” I encouraged.
“Courtland, you’re the man that I’ve always wanted but didn’t know what that meant until we met.
From the first night I saw you, I knew you’d change my life.
You’ve given the kids and me something we’d all been missing…
love. We all love each other because we’re meant to.
You love us because you can. No matter what’s happened, you’ve always been there.
Whether that’s words of encouragement, advice or truth, it’s always come from a place of love.
Loving you is the right thing. The betterment of my soul.
I prayed for you before you came into my life, and now that you’re here, it feels surreal.
I’m a little black girl from Georgia who got my own Cinderella story.
It’s not perfect; the pages are crinkled, some details need rearranging, but the ending is still the same.
I found my Prince Charming. I love you, Courtland, and I’m yours forever. ”
I had to turn my head to the side because her words were hitting me in the fucking chest. My handkerchief didn’t hit on shit.
“Oh yeah, his ass a goner!” City called out.
“Damn, what am I supposed to say to that?”
“That’s just it. You’re not supposed to. You’re always living your life, thinking you need an answer for everything, when sometimes, you just… have to hear the words and accept them. Your fans do it all the time. Think of it as you receiving admiration from me.”
“We have something to say too,” Erin called out.
I reached for their hands and picked Levi up.
“What you wanna say, lil’ man?”
“I just want to say thank you for loving mommy, loving me, and being a good person to us.. You’re my dad. That’s all I want.”
“You got it, lil’ man,” I replied, rubbing the top of his head.
“Erin, go ahead,” Eris coached.
“I’ll call you, Courtland, for this.” She held up a page to read from.
“Courtland, I knew a long time before this that my sister loved you. At first, I was scared that she’d forget about us because she had a boyfriend.
Then I realized later on that you wanted to be part of all our lives.
My sister has been hurt before, and I used to pray that God would send someone who’ll love her and won’t hurt her.
And he sent you, Maleek and Uncle City. All this love y’all have to give.
So, thank you. Thank you for calling us family. ”
My chest was about to burst with emotion thinking about Maleek because I wished he was here to be in this moment. He deserved that shit just like the kids did. It’s coming soon. I gotta be patient.
These mothafuckin’ kids brought the big guns out.
“Come here.” I pulled Erin in while still holding Levi; we cried. I wasn’t even going to act like that shit didn’t move me. “I love both of y’all and you’ll never have to worry about nothing, aiight?”
“We believe you, and we love you too.”
“I love you too,” Levi’s small voice said.
“That’s that real love. I can’t see a damn thing with these tears in my lashes. Why the hell y’all do that?” Suki retorted, and everyone laughed.
I put the kids back down so they could go back to their places.
“My goodness. That was truly beautiful. Such words of conviction, love and admiration. This is truly a union of love. May I have the rings?” the Justice of the Peace asked.
City went into his pocket and handed me E’s ring.
I took her hand.
“Goddamn. I didn’t think the rock could get any bigger than the engagement. This bitch is brighter than the Sun,” Suki joked.
“Courtland, place the ring on Eris’s finger and repeat after me.”
The Justice of the Peace said a few words.
“With this ring, I thee wed…”
I repeated after him. I had to hold it together because I felt myself stumbling. The moment was getting closer. Eris was about to carry my last name, and that shit had me anxious.
Suki handed Eris a wedding band for me. A black, diamond-encrusted matte band. That mothafucka was nice. I had a lot of pieces, but this one was already my favorite.
“Eris, place the ring on Courtland’s finger and repeat after me.”
Once that metal slid onto my finger, all that other shit he was mumbling in the background went out the window.
“By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife…”
He didn’t have to finish before I took her in my arms and laid the nastiest kiss on my wife. “Man, I’ve been waiting so long to do this shit.”
Everyone cheered us on.
“It was agony, but we did it, baby.” She smiled.
“Hell yeah.”
I went back in, slipping my tongue into her mouth. That kiss was already different. It had that marriage taste to it. Everything about us flashed like a movie inside my brain. We did all of that to get to this moment. It’s something I’d never fucking forget.
I grabbed her ass I stood us back up then interlocked our hands as we faced the crowd. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. This was what love looked and felt like. I’ve never had this since Pops died. This was familiar, but it was mine with a different twist.
“I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Courtland Anthony Kirkland,” he announced. That shit sounded so good to hear. I wanted to hear that shit all the time.