Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Ella

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 burned-out 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

faster than I thought was possible and !

whispers, leaning over to Cora and I and

Otherwise, they’re not

protests, his eyes still on

laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s grilled. Otherwise.

eat a lot of hotdogs,”

Then she looks over at me from her chair next to mine. “You know

hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises her

and everything, chatting lightly about what we’ll be doing in our mutual future but not touching on any of the big, scary subjects that lurk

just about laughter, and fun, and spending

bite into a smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my god,” I murmur, closing my eyes

dripping,” Sinclair laughs, “you’re going to

head and refusing to open my eyes as I take another bite –

Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing

watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit close to each other, not talking

at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside

dark

sing a hand to play

murmurs

up at the stars and then

him.

help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch

that that’s my

up from my little camping chair and send a pulse

up at me, curious and I nod

talking quietly. My mate follows my gaze and

father and puts a hand on his back, leaning down to speak a

stealthily as we can – which is not very stealthy,

into the RV with a noisy platform – the three

leaving Cora and Roger alone by the fire to have a moment

about,” I say to Sinclair as he

behind him, the baby still curled in

out the window at Roger and Cora through the

he says, coming to sit

own moment, rolls his way back to the bedroom, making

about wanting to watch some television, though we both know

mate and reaching for

know I always want

he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me and pulling

chin on my shoulder so that he too can look out

never cared as much about the details of my brother’s love life until you came along

at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably

girlfriend drama -”

asks, his body going stiff behind me, just

turning to him,