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

! much faster than I thought was possible and ! anile

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

they’re not

true!” Sinclair protests, his

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

gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,” I murmur to

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

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

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

about laughter, and

a crisp just the way I like it.

dripping,” Sinclair laughs, “you’re going to get marshmallow all over

murmur, shaking my head and refusing to open my eyes as I take

with my s’more anyway Cora, Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from

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

here Cora says, wrapping her arms around herself and smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in the dink

dark

pantele Roger murs to sing

murmurs

stars and then turning her head to look

him.

help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch them. And then,

I decide that that’s my

I stand up from my little camping chair

nod my head first towards the

and Cora, who begin talking quietly. My mate follows my gaze and then nods

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

one by one, as stealthily as we can – which is

the three of

Cora and Roger alone by the fire to have a

I say to Sinclair as he climbs last

the baby still curled in his arms.

the window at Roger and Cora through

little spy?” he says, coming

own moment, rolls his way back to the bedroom,

to watch some television, though we

sigh, looking up at my mate and reaching for my baby, who

I always want

he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me

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

much about the details

at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had lots of

girlfriend drama -”

his body going stiff behind me,

ask, turning to him,