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.

she looks over

“You know

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

pleased at the idea, and we both

continues like this long into the night

nothing and everything, chatting lightly

touching on any of

that they’re there, after

to leave them untouched for

laughter, and fun,

into a smore that Sinclair

to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh

“This is so good,

going to get

baby – ”

head

another bite. “He

he comes and lifts

to be alone with my s’more anyway. Cora, Roger,

Rafe away from me, apologizing

inconsiderate his mother is. I wave

his words, knowing that he’s kidding

I finish my s’more and look around

Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while

other, not talking but clearly connected in this peaceful

says, wrapping

think I’d

as much as this.”

there?” Roger murmurs, raising a hand to

Cora’s hair as he

the stars and then

Roger, beaming at him.

can’t help my own smile from crossing my face

at each other, I decide that that’s

up from my little camping chair and send a pulse

bond with Sinclair. He looks up at

RV and then towards Roger and Cora, who

gaze and then nods

a hand on his back, leaning down to speak a

one by one, as stealthily as we can – which

lifted into the RV with a noisy

our way back into the little mobile house, leaving

by the fire to have a moment

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

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

little kitchen nook, peering out the window at Roger

through the tinted window.

business, little spy?” he says, coming to sit with me on

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

excuse

know he doesn’t

mate and reaching for my baby,

“But you know

know,” he murmurs, slipping

against him, resting his chin on

out at Cora and Roger, “I never cared as much

of my brother’s love life until

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