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

a ! much faster than I thought was possible and ! anile as

Henry whispers, leaning over to Cora

they’re not

Sinclair protests, his

chimes in, making us laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s

gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,”

she adds, sighing. Then she looks over at me from her chair next to mine. “You know I can’t cook

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

like this long into the night – the family gathered happily around 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

about laughter, and fun, and spending

I 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 as I chew. “This is so good,

“you’re going to

my head and refusing to open my eyes as I take

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

quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild

smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in the dink by a tie as

dark

Roger murs to sing a

murmurs

says, looking up at the stars and then turning her

him.

crossing my face as

that

from my little camping chair and send a pulse down

up at me, curious and I nod my head first towards the RV and

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

a hand

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

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

Cora and Roger alone by the fire to have a moment

talking about,” I say to Sinclair as he climbs last into the RV,

door shut behind him, the baby still curled in his arms.

out the window at Roger and Cora through the

spy?” he says, coming to sit with me

wanting to give us our own moment, rolls his way back to the bedroom,

though we

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

know I always want to

murmurs, slipping his arms

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

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

still peering out at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had lots

girlfriend drama -”

going stiff behind me, just a

ask, turning