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

know I

“Maybe we can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She

pleased at the idea,

like this long into the night the family gathered happily around

and everything,

touching on

all know that they’re there,

leave them

is just about laughter, and fun, and

into

I like it. “Oh my god,”

is so good,

going

baby – ”

shaking my head and refusing to

“He

and lifts Rafe from my

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

away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for

I wave a

his words, knowing that he’s

finish my s’more and look around at my family, watching

his grandchild while

but clearly connected in

says, wrapping her arms around herself and

camp. “I didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in the dark by a

as much as this.”

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

Cora’s hair as he smiles

says, looking up at the stars and

Roger, beaming at him.

my face as I watch

I decide that that’s

stand up from my little

He looks up at me, curious and

towards Roger and Cora, who begin talking

gaze and then nods his understanding. He

on his back, leaning down to speak

as we can –

into the RV with a noisy

the baby make our way back into the little mobile house,

Roger alone by the fire to have a

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

RV, pulling the door shut behind him, the baby

peering out the window at Roger

through the tinted window.

their business, little spy?” he says, coming

Henry, perhaps wanting to give us our own moment, rolls

the bedroom, making some excuse about wanting to watch

we both know he

I sigh, looking up at my mate

you know I

“Do you know,” he murmurs,

warmly against

can look out at Cora and Roger, “I never

love life until you came

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