Chapter 14
Fernando lay beside Walker, head on his chest, as he listened to the alpha’s steady heartbeat.
They were in a guest room at Mateo’s in-laws, Barry and Jamie.
There had been a loud argument amongst the Wilsons over where Walker would stay, and it had been decided that he would stay one night at each house so everyone would have time with him.
He’ll be officially adopted into the Wilson family by Christmas, Fernando thought with a grin.
Morning light spilled through the curtains, filtering into a warm, honeyed glow that settled across the quilted bedspread.
The bed itself was tall and sturdy, with a carved wooden headboard polished to a gentle shine.
The walls were pale sage, with framed watercolor landscapes hanging slightly crooked in a charming, unbothered way.
A braided rug softened the hardwood floor.
Jamie had even picked fresh flowers and put them in a small vase on the nightstand. The scent of lavender wafted through the room, tickling Fernando’s nose.
Walker yawned as he woke, tightening his arms around Fernando. “I haven’t slept this well in years.”
“I know what you mean.” Fernando pressed his face against Walker’s chest. He hadn’t realized how heavy the weight on his shoulders had been.
Even in North Carolina, he worried constantly that people would find out about his uncle and treat him differently.
Everyone in Hobson Hills already knew, but they showed compassion for Mateo and his siblings rather than judgment.
Mostly. There were a few who side-eyed them, but they were only a few.
“Our lives would be so different if we lived here,” Walker said suddenly, surprising Fernando.
“Different isn’t bad,” Fernando said gently.
“For you it’s not,” Walker said, chuckling.
“I wish I were as brave as you.” He thought for a moment.
“I also wish I had your family. You’re so close to each other and talk about everything.
You argue loud and hug loud. I love it.” He exhaled.
“I would miss Pug and the guys, but your family would make up for it.”
Fernando snorted. “They’re your family now, too. Hell, Barry told you to call him Dado, like his kids do. I think you’re basically a Wilson now.”
A long pause settled between them. Walker looked up at the ceiling. “When Barry asked about kids tonight—”
“He always asks. Even if you’re not his kid, he asks. Nosy fucking Wilsons. To be fair, if my parents were alive, they would be asking about kids, too. To them, family is everything.”
“Family is everything,” Walker repeated, speaking slowly to taste the words. “I just… I don’t even know what that means right now.”
Fernando leaned up and kissed his chin. “That right there is why it’s important. We get to decide what family means now. Not our parents or the Wilsons. Us. We’ve talked about kids and about fostering. When you’re ready, we’ll make it happen.”
He swallowed. “What if I don’t know how?”
“You do,” Fernando said. “You show up. You stay. You do your best.”
He let out a quiet laugh. “That’s it? That’s the big secret?”
“That’s the big secret.”
“Grammy said something similar. Something about a garden and life. I don’t know.” He ran his hand along Fernando’s back. “I’m scared I’ll mess it up.”
“You will,” Fernando said. “I will too. But we’ll mess it up together.”
The tension in Walker’s shoulders eased, just a little, and Fernando kissed his chin again. “Now, get up. The Bigfoot festival starts today, and Mateo will want you to go on a hunt with him again tonight.”
“Big day.” Walker grinned. “Come with me?”
“To the festival? Yes. To the hunt? Absolutely not.”
A few hours later, they stood together in the crowd, the August heat warming them. A banner stretched over Main Street, its corners fluttering lazily in the breeze. “Welcome to the 1st Annual Bigfoot Festival” was written in large bold letters.
Fernando fanned himself with a folded brochure. “I can’t believe so many people came to Hobson Hills for this.”
Walker grinned, tugging the sides of his brand-new knitted Sasquatch hat lower over his brow.
The thick yarn was too warm for summer, but he didn’t want to take it off.
Ernie Wilson had given it to him. “You say that now, but they’re about to start the Authentic Bigfoot Call Competition. That’s culture.”
“Culture?” Fernando laughed. “This is a town full of grown men howling into the woods.”
A whistle blew near the makeshift stage in the town square. Kids with painted-on sasquatch faces chased each other between booths selling wooden carvings, knitted goods, and various Bigfoot paraphernalia. Janelle even had a booth selling plants in ceramic sasquatch flowerpots.
Walker reached for Fernando’s hand as they wove through the crowd. “Okay, but admit it. This is kind of amazing.”
He softened, squeezing Walker’s fingers. “It’s aggressively charming.”
They stopped at a booth where an older woman with a squatch watch visor displayed plaster casts of enormous footprints.
Fernando leaned closer. “These look suspiciously like someone stepped in cement with a snowshoe.”
The woman overheard. “Sweetheart, Bigfoot doesn’t need snowshoes. He’s got natural flotation.”
Walker nodded solemnly. “Science.”
Fernando bit back a smile until they’d stepped away. “You are enjoying this way too much.”
“Because it’s ridiculous,” Walker said, laughing. “And nobody here cares that it is. Look at them.” He gestured to a group of teenagers arguing earnestly over blurry photos pinned to a corkboard. “They want to believe. That’s kind of sweet.”
A man climbed onto the stage and tapped the mic. “Contestants for the Bigfoot Call, please line up!”
Walker’s eyes lit up.
“Oh no,” Fernando said immediately, tightening his grip on Walker’s hand. “Absolutely not.”
“It’s tradition,” Walker insisted.
“You’ve been here exactly twelve minutes, and this is literally the first Bigfoot festival the town has had.”
Walker leaned close, his voice dropping. “If Bigfoot is out there, Ferdie, he deserves to hear my voice.”
He stared at Walker for a long moment, then laughed, full and bright and unguarded. “Fine. But if you embarrass me, I’m telling everyone you cried during that documentary about orcas in captivity.”
“That shit was moving.” He jogged toward the stage before Fernando could change his mind.
Fernando stayed back in the shade of an oak tree, watching as he lined up beside a burly man in camouflage and a seven-year-old girl with glittery face paint. Unsurprisingly, Mateo, Eddie, and Ernie Wilson were also on stage.
“Why is my family so weird?” he asked.
“Because they’re connected to you,” Gabriela answered him, startling him.
He squeaked in surprise and spun around. Gabs, Valentina, Abel, and the kids joined him under the tree. Iggy’s pet bearded dragon, Pudding, was on a leash.
“I thought you had a booth to work?” he asked Abel.
“Gramps is watching it for me. I didn’t want to miss this spectacle.” Abel grinned. “Mateo’s sasquatch call is sexy, you know.”
Even baby Emma made a face at that.
“You’re disgusting,” Val said and pulled Fernando down to sit next to her in the grass. She brought Pudding onto her lap. “You let Walker go up there? What’s wrong with you?”
“I was blinded by his shoulders.”
Valentina shrugged. “That’s fair.”
When it was Walker’s turn, he stepped up to the mic, cleared his throat dramatically, and let out a long, wavering howl that started low and climbed into something surprisingly melodic. It echoed off the brick storefronts and rolled toward the trees beyond town.
The crowd went silent for half a second.
Then someone whooped. A dog barked. Laughter rippled through the park.
Fernando felt his chest tighten in that familiar way it did when he remembered exactly why he loved Walker. He was ridiculous, yes, but fearless about it.
Walker jogged back toward him, flushed and triumphant. “Well?”
“You sounded like a lovesick coyote.”
“Perfect. That’s exactly what Bigfoot goes for.”
“Walker, that was great,” Ernie said. He, Eddie, and Mateo joined them after their own calls. “You are definitely doing the calls tonight.
“Okay.” Walker agreed easily. “Ferdie, can we go to the hair analysis lecture next?”
“Please tell me you aren’t getting caught up in Bigfoot.”
Walker gave him a sheepish look. “It’s just nice to think there might be something wild and unknown left out there in the world.”
Fernando sighed and cupped his alpha’s face in his hands. “They’ve corrupted you, but I still love you. Okay, let’s go to the lecture thing.”
“Babe?” Eddie gave Gabriela a hopeful look. “Juan is the one giving the lecture, and he’s totally my bro. I need to support him.”
She groaned. “Fine. We’ll go too.”
Valentina scoffed. “You two are way too soft.”
A boy about her age walked past them with friends. He had short brown hair and lovely blue eyes. The group was heading directly to the tent where the lectures happened.
“Well, now that I think about it, maybe it’s a little interesting,” Valentina said, eyes following the boy.
Fernando and Mateo exchanged a look. They spoke with their brows and eyes. Yes, they would both be on guard during the stupid lecture. Fernando recognized theater people when he saw them. They were his people; he knew them well. That boy was the one Valentina liked.