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

than I thought was possible

cook,” Henry whispers, leaning over to Cora and I

they’re

Sinclair protests, his

“If I’m

your baby is gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,”

Then she looks over at me from

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

the fire, talking about nothing 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 behind the conversation. We all know that they’re there, after all – and we all simultaneously decide to leave them untouched for

just about laughter, and fun, and spending

a smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like

going to get marshmallow all over

refusing to open my eyes

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

quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit close to each other, not talking but clearly connected in

smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d

dark

pantele Roger murs to sing a hand to play with Cora

murmurs

she says, looking up at the stars and then turning her head to look

him.

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

decide that that’s

little camping chair

He looks up at me, curious and I nod my head first towards

My mate follows my gaze and then nods

puts a hand on

– which is not very stealthy, considering Henry has

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

little mobile house, leaving Cora and Roger alone by the fire

to Sinclair as he climbs last into the RV,

shut behind him, the baby still curled in his arms. I’m

out the window at Roger and

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

give us our own moment, rolls his

television, though

looking up at my mate and reaching

I always

he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me and pulling

against hin, resting his chin on my shoulder so that he

much about the details of my brother’s love life

them. “Roger’s hot.

girlfriend drama -”

going stiff behind me, just

ask, turning to him,