Gabriela squealed when she saw them. The young woman was pretty and looked a bit like Fernando. She was short with long black hair and a curvy figure, and dressed stylishly in a light blue skirt and a white lace sleeveless blouse. The man next to her, Eddie, was her exact opposite - tall, skinny with lanky blond hair, and dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with Bigfoot and aliens on it. They made an unlikely couple. Walker also now knew where Fernando got his laundry day shirt.
She flew into Fernando’s arms and hugged her brother tightly. “You’re already here! Oh, I’ve missed you.”
Eddie smiled wide and waved at Walker. “Hey, man. Nice to meet you in person. Can I hug you?”
Walker blinked, surprised at the request. “Umm, sure. I guess.”
Eddie hugged him close, long arms wrapping around him. Walker stood there, slightly confused and happy at the same time. Fernando was the only one who ever hugged him, and those hugs, while wonderful on their own, were not like this hug. This was warm and safe, comforting even.
Eddie released him a moment later and patted his shoulder. “It’s a good thing you got here early, buddy. We’re going hunting tonight.”
Walker shifted from foot to foot. “Yeah, Mateo invited me, but honestly, I don’t feel great about killing animals.”
“Oh, we aren’t killing anything. That’s no bueno.” Eddie shook his head. “We’re hunting a sasquatch. There’s been a lot of UFO activity in the area, and that means it’s likely they’re here to communicate with their cousins, the sasquatch.”
Walker blinked again, processing the man’s words. “Okay. We’re not hunting deer. We’re hunting Bigfoot.”
“Yeah, man. Great, isn’t it?”
Walker nodded slowly. “Cool, cool. Okay.”
Gabriela let Fernando go and turned to him with her arms open. Walker let her hug him, too, again getting that same warm burst of something.What the hell is happening?
“It’s so good to meet you in person, Walker.” She leaned back and looked up at him, smiling happily. “You are definitely Ferdie’s better half.”
Fernando glared at his sister and pried her out of Walker’s arms before taking her place and snuggling against him.
Walker smiled and hugged his omega.
“Fernando, is that you?” An older man asked at the booth with apple products. A short girl with black hair stood next to him, her smile showing off a small gap in her front teeth.
The older man saw Walker and grinned before coming out from behind the booth. “This must be Walker. I’m Gramps, son. You’re early.”
Walker flushed, excitement and nervousness causing him to practically vibrate in place. “Hi, sir. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Gramps wrapped his arms around Walker and pulled him close. “Laurel is gonna kill me since I got to see you first. She’s real excited about you coming to town.”
Walker pressed his face against the man’s shoulder and let himself soak up the warmth. The man smelled of apples and cinnamon, and his arms were strong around Walker. Secure.
The girl from the booth wiggled between them and hugged Walker as well. “Hi, Walker. I’m Olive. My dad and I are the ones who sent you apple chips. I helped make them for you.”
Walker laughed, fighting back tears. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to cry, but he really liked all the hugs from this town. “I remember those chips. I split them with my friend Pug. We enjoyed them. Thank you so much for making them.”
She giggled. “His name is Pug? I like that.”
Walker met Fernando’s eyes a moment later, and they shared a soft smile.
“Are you hungry?” Gramps let him go, then tugged him to the booth. “Olive, can you get him some cider?”
“Yep.” The girl ran to the booth and grabbed a big glass with the orchard’s logo on it.
“I’ll go get you some fish and chips from the pub’s booth.” Gramps patted his shoulder, smiling at him again. “Have a seat with Olive, and I’ll be right back. Oh, and I see you, Ferdie boy. You’ll get food too.”
“And a hug?” Fernando asked, chuckling.
Gramps grinned, picked the smaller man up, and swung him around. “We missed you, boy. You and your sister need to visit more.” Gramps set Fernando down and hurried over to the pub’s booth.
Fernando watched Walker with a smug look. “Maybe I don’t mind sharing you with the Wilsons.”
