Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 387

The trip improves by leaps and bounds the moment we stop at the campground for the night.

“Finally,” I sigh, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as I climb down the steps of the RV, my baby curled in my arm and looking around him with bright and interested eyes. “It’s good to be on steady ground again.”

“Remind me never to take you on a boat,” Sinclair murmurs, coming down the stairs behind me. “If you didn’t like this…you won’t respond well to that.”

“Yes sir,” I say passively, smiling down at the baby, who frees one of his arms and reaches out into the cool evening air, clasping his fingers at a firefly who passes close by. I don’t mention that I liked the sea voyage to the desert much more than I liked this, even though the accommodations weren’t as nice.

“What about this?” Sinclair murmurs as he steps down the final step and comes to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I smile as I lean

back against his chest. “Is the forest an improvement?”

I look around our isolated campsite, lit with grey and blue tones in the dying light

of the day. I smile at what I see, appreciating the cool air and the blinking light of

the fireflies that float lazily through the space.

“Yes,” I say with a decisive nod. “This will do quite well.”

“Good,” Sinclair replies, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing

me and moving to a luggage compartment low on the RV, I watch as he opens it

and begins pulling out camping gear chairs, a cooler, some bags with extra

snacks and bug spray.

“Oh!” I say, surprised by it all as my mate begins to set it all up around a burnedout ring where a fire goes. “Oh, we’re very prepared.”

“Of course we are,” Roger says, climbing out of the RV with Cora behind him.

When he reaches the ground, Roger flicks the switch that prepares Henry’s little

elevator. “We’re always ready to go glamping in this family.”

I laugh at the term, settling into a chair that Sinclair waves me towards, smiling

down at the baby. “What do you think, Rafe?” I whisper to him. “Do you like

glamping?” He gives a happy little coo in response and I laugh, grinning up at

his father. “I think that’s a yes.”

“Kid has taste,” Sinclair says, winking at me as he continues his work. We’re all

settled around a fire much faster than I thought was possible and I smile as I

watch Sinclair and Roger set a little grill across it, apparently preparing to make

us our dinner as well.

“They only cook,” Henry whispers, leaning over to Cora and I and giving us a

smile, “when it’s outdoors. Otherwise, they’re not interested.”

“Not true!” Sinclair protests, his eyes still on the fire.

“Absolutely true!” Roger chimes in, making us laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s

grilled. Otherwise I’m getting takeout.”

“Guess your baby is gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,” I murmur to Cora.

sighing. Then she looks over at me

“You know I can’t cook

make them hire us chefs,” I consider.

idea,

into the night the family

nothing and everything, chatting

in our mutual future but not touching

conversation. We all know that they’re

to leave them untouched

about laughter, and fun, and

bite into a

way I like it. “Oh my god,” I murmur, closing

“This is so

Sinclair laughs, you’re going to

baby – ”

shaking my head and refusing to open

bite. “He won’t

comes and lifts Rafe

with my s’more anyway. Cora, Roger, and

me, apologizing in a

mother is. I

knowing that

look around at my family, watching

Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while

but clearly connected

wrapping her arms around herself

think I’d like sitting outside in the dark

as much as this.”

it, isn’t there?” Roger murmurs, raising a hand

as he smiles

at the stars and

Roger, beaming at him.

can’t help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch

each other, I decide that

stand up from my little camping chair and

at me, curious and I nod

then towards Roger and

my gaze and then nods his understanding. He

his back,

by one, as stealthily as we can – which is

into the RV with a noisy platform – the

way back

alone by the fire to have a moment

about,” I say

pulling the door shut behind him, the baby still curled in his

the little kitchen nook, peering out the window

through the tinted window.

he says, coming to sit with me on the

perhaps wanting to give us our own moment, rolls his

making some excuse about wanting to

we both know he doesn’t watch

my mate and reaching for my baby,

“But you know

you know,” he murmurs,

the baby and I warmly against him,

at Cora and Roger, “I never cared as

love

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