“You tired?” I asked.
He moaned a bit. “Uh-huh.”
“We’re almost there.” I paddled closer to the shore toward where I could already see our campsite, and in a few, we were there.
To our surprise, two iguanas were hanging out in the sun, relaxing on the sand beside our tent. The boys chased them off in their exuberance to get closer. At least Cody had a picture from earlier, so he pulled out his phone and showed it to his friends.
Crow put his arm over my shoulder. “I heard they have drinks set up at the Tiki Hut, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.”
“Bet the guys could use some refreshments right now. Let’s go.”
The hut was by the pool at the front of the campground, so none of us bothered to change. The boys would probably jump in the water after getting something cold to drink. Chickens were walking around the campground as we made our way there, which all the boys loved, but we made them leave the chickens alone. No chasing chickies on our watch.
Lush palm trees surrounded the pavilion, and inside, the hut lived up to its name, with bamboo framing and a thatched roof. Cody got plenty of pictures of the Tiki Hut, and they were all thrilled to find ice-cold juice boxes waiting for them.
“You think of everything, Drew.” I winked at him, happy the boys had exactly what they wanted.
“Don’t give me credit. I just paid for it. The planning was a team effort.” There were several people from the club, including Danny, who gave me a cheeky grin when I glanced over at him.
After refreshments, the boys jumped in the pool as expected, and the daddies followed. It was hot out and it would feel much better in the water. We stayed there until dinner time. Crow left to go help with the grilling, and the rest of us went to clean up and change.
Dinner was ribs, chicken, and steak on the grill with grilled corn on the cob and garlic bread. It was special and delicious, and everyone was there. Our group wasn’t as large as the previous year, but there were still a fair number of folks on this trip, and I suspected more people would be joining the cruise the next day.
Drew stood and whistled to get everyone’s attention. “We’re having a special Pride celebration in the Tiki Hut in about an hour or so. Come on by once the sun sets.”
I put my arm around Cody’s shoulder as we walked back out to our campsite, and we got there just in time to watch the sunset over the water together. A flock of pelicans bobbed around in the water between our piece of land and a sailboat out on the open water, while Mother Nature painted spectacular colors across the sky. Deep dark blue and purple blended into softer orange, yellow and pink, rivaling the wonderful-smelling, pink Plumeria blooms. Cody sighed and leaned into my side. “Nice, isn’t it?” I kissed the side of his head as we walked beneath a large palm tree that stretched upward, trying to touch all the colors of the sky.
“It is. This has been a fantastic day.”
“All I wanted for this trip was for you to enjoy it.”
“Freak out aside, I really have. But what about you, Daddy?”
I squeezed him a little. “I enjoy watching you enjoy it.” In fact, he brought a lot of joy not only today but throughout my entire life. “I love your youthful attitude and seeing different things through your eyes.”
“Are you getting all poetic on me now?”
“No…” I thought about it for a moment as I watched the sky darken. “Well, maybe.”
By the time we headed back to the Tiki Hut for the Pride celebration, it was full dark. We walked along the path that bordered the water, closer to the docks, with blue lights along the water marking the walkway.
“These are cool.” Cody pointed them out as if I didn’t see them.
“You’re so cute, but they’re just lights.”
“Nu-uh. They’re blue lights. Very tropical. Very special.”
It was kind of a little more tropical that way, but they could have been any color. “Okay. They’re tropical.”
“Are you agreeing to shut me up?” Cory bumped his hip into my side.
“Nope. I’m agreeing because you’re right. It’s that whole seeing things the way you do thing.”
“Silly daddy.”
The Tiki Hut had been decorated with streamers of every color, and music played softly in the background. On the center table, a huge cake decorated with a giant rainbow and the wordsPRIDE Celebrationwritten across it waited for us.
“Yummy. I like cake.” It was nice to see him opening up more and being himself around this group. He was loosening up, and that was what I needed as well. Hopefully, by the time we got to the cruise, he’d be so relaxed, and he’d have nothing butfun, fun, fun, as he would say.
