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.

Then she looks over at me from

“You know I

shrug. “Maybe we can make them hire us

idea,

into the night the family gathered happily around

talking about nothing and everything, chatting lightly about what we’ll

mutual future but not touching on any of the big, scary subjects

conversation. We all know that they’re

simultaneously decide to leave them untouched for

about laughter, and

as I bite into a smore that Sinclair

a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my god,” I

I chew. “This is so

going to get marshmallow all over

baby – ”

head and

bite. “He won’t

and lifts Rafe

with my s’more

as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a

is. I wave a hand

words, knowing that he’s

finish my s’more and look around

watches Sinclair and his grandchild while

to each other, not talking but clearly connected in

wrapping her arms around

our dark camp. “I didn’t think I’d like sitting outside

as much as this.”

it, isn’t there?” Roger

hair as he smiles

at the stars

Roger, beaming at him.

crossing my face as

at each other, I

can, I stand up from my little camping chair and

He looks up at me,

Roger and Cora,

follows my gaze and then nods his understanding. He walks to his

back, leaning down to speak a

as we can – which is not very

the

make our way back into

fire to have a moment

you think they’re talking about,” I say to Sinclair as

him, the baby

kitchen nook, peering out the window at

through the tinted window.

their business, little spy?” he says,

give us our own moment, rolls his way

excuse about

both know he doesn’t

I sigh, looking up at my mate and reaching for my baby, who

arms. “But you know I

you know,” he murmurs, slipping his

warmly against him, resting his chin

out at Cora and

brother’s love life until you came

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