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

settled around a ! much faster than I thought was possible

cook,” Henry whispers, leaning over to Cora and I and giving us a smile,

they’re not

true!” Sinclair protests, his eyes

laugh. “If I’m making

is gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,”

adds, sighing. Then she looks over at me from her chair next to mine.

make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises her eyebrows, pleased at the idea, and we

lightly about what we’ll be doing in our mutual future but not touching on any of the big, scary subjects that lurk behind the conversation. We all know that they’re there,

tonight is just about laughter,

the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my god,” I murmur, closing my eyes

“you’re going to get marshmallow all over

open

I let him, wanting to be alone. with my s’more anyway Cora, Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for how messy and inconsiderate his mother is I wave a hand at him, dismissing him

finish my s’more and look around at my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while

Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting

dark

about pantele Roger murs to sing a hand

murmurs

she says, looking up at the stars and then turning

him.

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

that that’s

stand up from my little camping chair and send a pulse down my bond

and I nod my

talking quietly. My mate follows

a hand on his back,

one by one, as stealthily as we can – which is not very stealthy,

into the RV with a noisy platform – the three of us and the baby make our way

Roger alone by the fire to have

I say to Sinclair as he climbs last into

baby still curled in

Roger and Cora

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

give us our own moment, rolls

to watch some television, though we both know he

looking up at my mate and reaching for my baby, who Sinclair passes into my

know I always want

“Do you know,” he murmurs, slipping

resting his chin on my shoulder so that he too can look

much about the details of my brother’s love life until you came along

out at them. “Roger’s

girlfriend drama -”

hot?” Sinclair asks, his body going

ask, turning to him, confused