Page 8 of And Omega Makes Four
I do understand Kyle’s concern. We don’t know exactly what’s going on with River. The entire situation is sketchy, and we could be inviting in the exact sort of trouble we’ve been running from all this time.
But I can’t bring myself to completely turn my back on him either.
“Hey, guys!” Devon beams as he joins us. “We hit up a few different places, dropped off a few applications, and discussed potential job openings with some locals. We’re actually looking pretty good. I’ve got a good feeling about some of them.”
“So, you’ve decided to stick around for a bit?” I look at River with a friendly smile. “I’m glad. I know we don’t have much to offer, but you’re welcome to share it.”
“I hope you don’t mind. Devon said it’d be okay.” River glances at Kyle with concern in his eyes, but the big alpha is decidedly not paying attention to him.
I jump in, relieving us all of the awkward tension that’s suddenly suffocating. “For now, we’re gonna be camping on the edge of town. Hopefully, once we start getting some money in, we can land somewhere a little more sheltered.”
“Shouldn’t be too long,” Devon says, patting River’s shoulder. “One guy I talked to said that people should start flooding the town for the festival here in the next few days. So there’ll be huge demand for extra hands just about everywhere.”
“Come on,” Kyle says after a moment of silence. “I’ve got directions to the campground. I wanna get set up before it starts to get dark.”
6
DEVON
The campground is empty, and not a single soul is around. We have the entire place to ourselves, but I know it won't last. Soon enough, the place will be full of families and tourists. And that's gonna make things a lot harder for us.
"Alright." Kyle climbs out of the car and pops the trunk. "We're in the far corner, away from the entrance. I'm hoping that'll keep us from getting too much attention."
"I can go set up the tent," I offer, already moving to grab the supplies. "River, you want to help me?"
"Oh, um...sure." He nods nervously but is eager to be helpful.
"I'll get a fire going." Frankie pulls out a bag of groceries and some cooking supplies. "I've got some stuff for dinner, but I need to see what we have left in the way of food for the rest of the week."
Everyone breaks off to begin their normal chores. We don't camp under the stars all that often. Usually, we just sleep in the car. When we can swing it, we grab a hotel, but that’s a luxury. Camping like this isn't my favorite thing, to be honest. But there's no way we're squeezing four people into the makeshift bed in the back of the station wagon.
"So, um..." River clears his throat as he follows me to the campsite. "This is kind of weird, isn't it?"
I glance at him with a frown. "Weird, how?"
"I mean, I've never been camping before. I don't know what I'm doing." He closes his arms around his chest as if he’s cold. "I feel like I'm just gonna be in the way."
"It's not that hard." I grip his shoulder and give him a squeeze. "And you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Kyle, Frankie, and I have been doing this for a long time. We've got a routine down. You can just watch and learn until you’re familiar with it."
"Okay..." River doesn't sound convinced.
I set the tent down and began pulling out the poles and stakes. To be honest, our family-sized tent might be a bit snug with four people in it, too. Glancing at the slender omega, I furrow my brow and decide to ask the question we’ve all been wondering. "So, River, what exactly are you running from?"
"I'm not running from anything," he says quickly. "I'm just...traveling."
"Yeah, okay." I chuckle and roll my eyes. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell when someone’s lying to me. I'm not gonna pry, but if you're in some kind of trouble, maybe we can help you."
"I don't think you can." He sighs, all but admitting he is. "But I appreciate the offer. I really do."
Nodding, I focus on getting the tent set up. I don't want to push him too hard, but after spending the day with him, I'm starting to feel more protective of him than I probably should. It doesn't really make sense since we're practically strangers, but there's something about him that draws me in.
"Okay, so the tent goes together like this." I hold up the poles and the loops they slide into as I begin to assemble the frame. "Once you get the poles in place, you just stake it down to the ground. Then you can set up the rain fly, and that keeps the water out."
River nods along, watching carefully as I demonstrate each step. I can tell he's trying to memorize everything I'm saying and doing. He's eager to learn, and that's something I can appreciate.
He looks up at me from underneath long lashes. "So, you guys have been traveling together for a long time?"
Damn, he’s cute. "Yeah, we've been on the road for a few years now." Has it really been that long? "It's not the easiest life, but it's better than the alternative."
