23. Key West: Todd

The next day, we got up slowly and dressed, and Larry pounded on the door until Jax finally opened it. When he did, I was staring into his scowly face. "What?"

"You lied." Jax poked my chest. "To me. To everyone. Fake dating. Bullshit. I call bullshit. What is your deal, Todd?"

"Maybe, I—fuck! I'm sorry, Jax. I couldn't face this trip without someone."

"Why? You wouldn't be the only single guy. I told you that." He held his hands out.

"No, but all of y'all are paired up. And that's what mattered. You, Royce, and even Levi. I-I couldn't."

Jax turned to Larry. "You're not off the hook either, dude."

"Leave him alone, Jax. This was me. All me."

"He didn't have to go along with it."

Larry huffed. "Do you not know him? Hi, Jax, meet Todd. Headstrong, stubborn—"

"Hey," I growled, giving him my best angry glare.

"And the cutest pup in the whole world," he finished with a sly smile.

"Forgiven." I cuddled up to his side, but Jax wasn't finished.

"No. Not forgiven. I think I need more of an explanation than that. And Royce and Levi need apologies, too."

I couldn't hold back a sigh. I should have known it would end like this. "I don't know what to tell you that you would understand. What matters is that we're not pretending anymore. We are actually dating. And that's thanks to Levi and you. So…thanks."

"That's not all that matters." Jax crossed his arms over his chest. "We're your friends—your best friends. We are here for you no matter what. You could have told us you felt uncomfortable. We're never going to judge you. Don't you know that yet?" He started getting choked up.

"You're right. I know you are. I'm sorry."

"Fine." Jax pulled me into a hug. "Don't do this shit again. Don't lie to us. We love you." He squeezed me hard, and I felt the truth of that statement.

"Okay, enough of that," Royce said as he walked up and pulled me out of Jax's arms and into his. "What he said. All of it, asshole."

I saw Levi over his shoulder. He was standing in the hallway and smirking. I mouthed thank you, and his smile grew into the real thing.

These were my best friends, and I never should have doubted them.

The sun was shining brightly when we dropped anchor in Key West. I held Larry's hand, ready to voyage out into the town. Jax's voice boomed over the public address system. "We're here… Happy Key West! Go forth, explore, and have fun. But remember, Hoadley Yacht Private Vacations launches at noon tomorrow. When we're back out in the Gulf, we're having our own Pride Parade. You don't want to miss it, so don't be late!"

The system squelched, and Ward came on. "Thank you for cruising with Hoadly Yacht Private Vacations!"

There was laughter from everyone as the gangplank, or whatever the fuck it was called, was lowered and we all descended into Key West. We spent the day walking along the main drag, but our first stop was for Cuban coffee! We went in and out of the shoppes, buying souvenirs. Larry even found one place with some amazing artwork and bought a painting, having it shipped back to his home in Tampa. Then, we found the Southernmost Point Buoy and took pictures to prove we were there. A few were serious, but then we goofed off with silly poses. I texted Levi and told him to meet us there, and we waited for them to catch up, then took more pictures.

After that, we rode a trolley to find a place to grab lunch. I was starving. And also having the best time of my life. We ended up at a beachside café. While we ate, we watched a bunch of hunky shirtless men playing volleyball on the court by the restaurant. We all shared peel-and-eat shrimp, and then we ordered different meals and shared so we could taste everything, and it was all fabulous.

Larry put his arm around me, and it felt right. Nothing fake about it.

"This has been fucking fantastic." I leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Larry."

"You're more than welcome, pup."

I sure as hell didn't regret anything that had happened on this cruise. It all brought us to this, and if this was what it would be like to be with Larry, I would take it.