24. Pride Parade - Larry

I'd been to watch the St. Petersburg Pride Parade a few times, but I'd never marched in the parade. Not that this was that, but it was something. Jax and Ward had all the guests start in the dining room. Probably because it was the only space big enough for everyone to congregate. I didn't care much about any of it. I simply wanted to hold Todd's hand and be near him.

Jax and Royce and their significant others went around the room handing out paper leis, saying, "Everyone gets laid." They thought they were funny—jury was out on that. They didn't allow the beads you would normally see at a parade because they were bad for the environment, and no one wanted them accidentally going in the water. The leis were a great alternative, and the guys tried to make it fun. Unofficially, there was a competition to see how many leis someone could con or flirt away from others. Before we started, Todd already had four or five and felt pretty smug about it. Levi and his new friend Danny had more, though. They were doing their little thing, and it was working. I wasn't giving mine up to any of them, though.

Then the music started blasting, and Jax, Ward, Royce, and Quinn started the line, leading us out of the dining area, down the outside of the deck, to the stairs near the bow, and down. We marched—but it was more like dancing, wiggling, jumping, and bouncing—around the bow and down to the deck below. Then we went all around the pool. Some folks were pushed in the water, others stopped to dance and hang out, but most of us kept going around the yacht. Eventually, we ended up at the pool again, and several guests were already sliding down the slide. It was a ton of fun.

Todd picked up a couple more leis, making me scowl at him. "Where are you getting these?"

He smiled shyly. "Guys are just giving them to me."

"I don't believe that."

"Huh. Watch." He turned to a guy next to us and smiled. "Hi."

"Here." The guy dropped several leis over Todd's head.

"Thanks!" Then he turned to me and shrugged. The guy he got the leis from slid behind the bar and came out with two more. He winked at me and gave them out to two other guys.

"He works for Jax, doesn't he?" I asked, thinking he looked familiar.

"Uh, yeah. He's on staff." Todd laughed at me, then threw his arms around my neck. "Happy Pride, baby!"

I couldn't help but chuckle and kiss his forehead. "Happy Pride to you."

Then the pup-pack showed up with Levi, Hudson, Danny, and his partner, Lee, in tow. They all demanded dancing and drinking. Who was I not to join in and ruin the fun?

If this was what our life would be like, I would embrace it, because I had never been happier.