The Summer of No Attachments by Lori Foster

Chapter Eleven

“You were even better than I’d hoped for.”

Gradually getting his eyes open, Corbin grinned. Leave it to Ivey to say something so unexpected. He came up to his elbows and caught her dreamy smile. “Glad to hear it.”

She peeked open one eye, sighed, then closed it again. “Now would be a good time for you to reciprocate.”

“Is that so?” He smoothed her wildly tumbled hair, thinking that he could easily be with her forever like this. “Should I tell you how incredible you are?” Getting into that theme, he shifted to the side of her, relieving her of his weight but drawing her close. “Or how you shot my control?”

“Did I?” She seemed very pleased by that. “Was it the matching bra and panties? I always heard guys like that sort of thing.”

Now that he wasn’t strung so tight with lust, he gave her the laugh she deserved. “It wouldn’t have mattered what you wore, Ivey, though I have to admit, they’re pretty.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “It was you, lady. Everything you do makes me want you more.”

“Since I only have two matching sets of undies, I’m relieved. I’d hate to have to spend time shopping.”

“I’d rather you spend that time with me.”

She stared up at him, her green eyes sparkling. “Me, too.”

Suddenly, Corbin had a thought. He gave brief consideration to the ramifications and decided to go for it. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more private time?”

“Well...yes.” She stared at his chest and trailed her fingertips over his shoulder. “But I understand that you have a lot of obligations, and naturally Justin needs to be a top priority.”

Yeah, that was one of the things he appreciated most about Ivey, how she truly got his situation and all it entailed. “Wouldn’t it also be nice if Daisy and Maurice didn’t have to be separated?”

Her expression turned defensive. “I’m not giving up my cat.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t ask you to.” He squeezed her for being so silly and figured he better get to the point. “What if both you and Maurice came to my house?” The way her eyes widened, he rushed to explain. “You work nearly every day, so it’d mostly be for dinner and sleeping anyway.”

Her eyes flared even more. “You want me to move in with you?” Shoving up to an elbow, she squeaked, “You want me to sleep with you? At your house?”

Her breasts were a huge distraction as he tried to figure out how to word things in a way most likely to gain her agreement. “You wouldn’t have to give up your place or anything, but you could come directly to my house after work. I’m closer to the clinic, anyway. If you’re worried about privacy, you can use the master on the main floor.”

Her mouth opened and then closed. She blinked fast.

“Look at it this way, Maurice will have company when you’re working, and he’ll get to hang out with Daisy.”

Ivey looked around at her bedroom. “I’d have to bring some of my clothes—wouldn’t that bother you?”

“How could it, when you make me feel so good?” Gently cupping her shoulder, he pressed her back in the bed, leaned over and lightly kissed her mouth. “You make things better, Ivey. I’m thrilled to have Justin with me, but I look at the chaos my life has become and it’s overwhelming. I’m not just responsible for me anymore, but for someone far more important.”

Her smile showed understanding and more. “Your son.”

“He’s the world to me, but damn, it’s enough to keep me up at night.” Using only his fingertips, he tucked back her hair. “Then you come around, and somehow it all seems to click into place. I see tomorrow and next week and next month, and I see it all working out.”

“You’ll make it so. You’re such an amazing guy.”

Grinning, he touched his forehead to hers. “See? That’s part of where I get that optimism. Other than my own mother and brother, I don’t think anyone has had that much faith in me.”

“I like your mother already.”

“Good, because she’s going to love you.”

Uncharacteristically reserved, especially for a woman who’d hastily stripped and demanded sex, Ivey asked, “Will I meet your mother?”

“She’ll show up soon, I’m sure. She’s already shown more restraint than I thought she had.” In fact, Corbin decided a warning might be in order. “Just so you know, my mother is a louder, more domineering version of my brother. She expects a lot from Lang and me, but usually gives more of herself. She sometimes speaks without thinking—”

“Oh good. We’ll have that in common.”

“—and she’s a hugger. If she doesn’t hug you, it means something.”

“Like what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Within minutes of meeting Ivey, he imagined his mother would be squeezing her tight. “I promise, you’ll be hugged so much, it’ll start to annoy you.”

That sexy mouth of hers quirked. “I’ll persevere.” She traced his collarbone. “You’re not worried about Justin seeing us together?”

“No. Don’t ever think that.” Corbin cupped her cheek in his hand. “You’re a good influence. With you, he sees how a healthy, independent, motivated woman should be.”

Her eyes going incredibly soft, Ivey whispered, “Thank you.”

“He needs to sort things out in his own mind, in his own way, but I want to help him however I can. Saying to him that his mother fell short wouldn’t be right, especially since I have no idea of why she’s done the things she’s done.” In his heart, it didn’t matter. She’d slighted his son, kept Corbin from him, and for that he’d never forgive her. But in his head, he knew he shouldn’t judge Darcie too harshly, because he’d grown up with incredible advantages. Not just security, but the solid love and understanding of his family.

“I’ve wondered that, too,” Ivey said. “I’m guessing she didn’t have an easy life?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. We only dated casually a few times. When Darcie’s family moved away, I barely noticed.” His mouth twisted. “Now I realize she must have been pregnant.”

“And you were only seventeen?”

“Yeah... I believe that happened on the first date.” But there was no point to rehashing the past. “I see no problem with Justin knowing you and I are in a relationship.” More and more, he realized the truth. “You’re the whole package, Ivey. Strong in the most important ways, accomplished and respected and settled in your independence, with a house of your own. But you’re also compassionate, energetic and funny. There’s absolutely nothing about you that could negatively influence my son.”

“You see the best in me.” Her smile wobbled, but she lifted her chin. “Thank you.”

He saw what was there, what anyone with eyes and even the smallest amount of perception noticed within minutes of meeting Ivey. “Will you stay with me?”

“I’d like that, yes. As you said, I’ll have my own house available if either of us needs a break.” She peeked up at him. “Promise you’ll tell me if, after a few days, you need some space?”

“All right.” But he knew he wouldn’t.

“Good.” She laced her arms around his neck. “And I’ll tell you if I do.”

His good mood slipped. “You think we’ll get on your nerves?” Other than the sleeping arrangement, things wouldn’t be that different from what they’d done the past week.

“No, but I don’t want to tie you down, so I’m trying to be fair. Let’s tackle it one commitment at a time, okay?”

He’d have her with him, and that was the most important part, so he nodded. “Got it.” Not to push his luck, but he asked, “Do you think we could start tonight?”

“Um...no.” She laughed and gave him a hug. “I’ll have to get some things together. But as soon as I can manage it, okay?”

“I’ll help however I can.”

By the time July rolled around, Ivey had all but moved in for good. Two days after Corbin had asked her to stay with him, she’d managed to get her necessities to his house. Once or twice a week, she brought over a few more things.

And now, it truly felt as if she was part of their family.

A fun perk was that she and Hope saw more of each other, because they all got together often for dinners, boat rides and even quiet conversation around a bonfire. Whenever the guys were busy, she and Hope would relax on their floats in the lake. Her life felt better, more relaxed and easy, than it ever had before.

It was a hot summer evening and Ivey had just showered and changed using the master bedroom, which was where she kept her ever-growing wardrobe from home. Maurice generally slept on the bed in that room, but he didn’t seem to mind that Ivey wasn’t there.

Though Justin tried taking Daisy to bed with him, she always ended up back in the laundry room with her puppies. They seemed to have gotten comfortable there, as if they considered it their own private room.

All during the day, though, the dogs kept close to Justin, following him as if he were the Pied Piper. Justin loved it, and it did make it easier for Corbin to get back to work.

The pups were now big enough for homes of their own, but no one mentioned that, so neither did Ivey. The thought of parting with them didn’t feel right. She was pretty sure Justin felt the same way.

The kitchen was empty when she walked in, but she heard everyone out on the deck. She went through the dining room and out to the covered area. The scent of barbecued ribs on the grill filled the air. Lang stood cooking with Hope sitting nearby. Her friend wore her swimsuit with a beach towel around her waist. Her hair, still damp, was slicked back from her face. She now had a light tan and a perpetual smile on her face.

Corbin reached out a hand to Ivey. Feeling lazy and relaxed, she went to him, and he tugged her into his lap. Maurice stretched out in the sun near the railing so he could keep an eye on Justin and the dogs playing in the yard below.

It was a picture-perfect evening and Ivey knew she was more content than she’d ever been before.

She glanced at Lang and Hope, saw that they were busy chatting quietly and whispered to Corbin, “Geoff called me again today.”

Though his expression darkened, his tone was still easy and relaxed when he said, “That’s getting to be a habit of his.”

“He hasn’t called that many times.” In the past month, he’d only pestered her three or four times. Since she wasn’t at her house very often, she had no idea if he’d tried stopping by there again. She hoped not, but because she always kept their exchanges brief, she hadn’t asked him.

Ivey got comfortable with her head on Corbin’s shoulder. “I think he’s finally grasping reality.”

Fingers teasing up and down her spine, Corbin asked, “What makes you think so?”

“I told him that he’s a great guy—and, Corbin, overall, he is. I also told him that I’m a pretty terrific person.” She kissed his throat. “I know that because you tell me so often.”

“Because it’s true.”

Ivey smiled. She was getting used to Corbin’s nonstop praise. Used to it and enjoying it. “Then I explained that he and I just weren’t terrific together. My faults irked him. His faults irked me. And the things we liked about each other weren’t good enough to make up for that.”

“Not like it is between us?”

Teasing him, she asked, “Are you telling me I have faults, now?”

He laughed. “I meant my faults.”

She poked him in his firm stomach. God, she loved his body. But it was his attitude, his drive, his love for his family and his determination to bring it all together that really got to her. “I know I have my own, too. But that’s it, you know? I can tease about it, because we complement each other so much.” She’d realized that after the first week had gone so well. Then the second week had been even better. Now every day with him only reinforced the idea that a good relationship was based on compatibility.

Corbin started to reply, when suddenly Justin called out, “Dad, there are ducks on the dock!”

“Hey,” Corbin called after him, seeing him running down the slight incline toward the water. “Justin, don’t go on the dock without me.”

With Daisy and the puppies yapping after him, Justin didn’t reply.

Quickly, Corbin stood Ivey on her feet and moved to the stairs leading down to the yard. “Justin, wait for me!”

Maurice sat up, ears twitching.

Pausing on the grill, Lang asked, “What’s happening?”

Ivey followed Corbin, but explained, “I guess Justin isn’t supposed to go near the water.”

Standing at the railing, Hope said, “Too late!” and they all heard a splash.

“Justin.”Corbin was flat out running now, his long legs eating up the distance to reach his son. Ducks squawked, Daisy cowered near a tree and the puppies bounded around in excitement.

Corbin reached the dock, his head jerking around as he searched, and then he, too, went into the water.

Ivey waited, her hand to her racing heart, wondering how she could help, what she should do.

A second later, Corbin called out, “I have him! He’s fine.”

Releasing a tense breath, Ivey gathered the animals as quickly as she could. Luckily, Lang and Hope had followed. She deposited them into their arms so she could continue on to the dock.

T-shirt sticking to his body, his sodden shorts almost falling off and his head hanging, Justin climbed the ladder and stood on the dock.

Corbin hauled himself out beside him. His mouth was set in a hard line and his expression was grim. For a few seconds he just stood there, hands on his hips, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. Deep breaths that Ivey assumed were a bid for control of his temper and fear.

“You know the rules, Justin,” Corbin finally said, his tone moderate. And yet, as he lifted both hands to push back his hair, Justin flinched away.

“I didn’t mean to!”

Dear God. Justin reacted as someone who’d been...struck. Horrified, Ivey resisted the urge to hug Justin close, to promise him it would be all right. She knew it, but Justin needed to know it, too, and she trusted Corbin to handle it.

Corbin’s eyes flared, then he hauled Justin close and held him. Ivey saw him swallow twice before he could speak. “Okay, first. I will never strike you, son. Not ever.”

Justin didn’t so much as move. His hands were down at his sides, his narrow back heaving.

“Second.” Corbin levered him back to see his face, and his voice grew gruff. “You scared me to death. The rules are there for a reason. Can you tell me what they are?”

Justin didn’t meet his gaze, but he nodded. “I can’t go in the water alone.” Speaking faster, he said, “But it was an accident! The ducks started flapping their wings and I tripped and just...fell in.”

“Which is a good reason never to go near the dock without a life preserver. Not for any reason.”

“I wanted to see the ducks,” he mumbled.

“I don’t care if you see a mermaid. A pot of gold. Even if Frankenstein is swimming by. No matter what, you wait for me or another adult, and you always wear a life preserver. Understood?”

Nodding, Justin let his head drop even more. Ivey thought his chin probably touched his chest.

Unable to bear it but hesitant to interfere, she said gently, “Daisy was startled by all the commotion, and the puppies were running everywhere. I doubt they know how to swim yet.”

Popping his head up, Justin stared at her. “She’s okay?”

“They’re all okay, honey. I gathered them up and now your Uncle Lang and Hope are watching them.”

“But you were supposed to watch them, Justin. When you asked to bring them all into the yard, you said you would.” Corbin put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you remember that?”

Justin nodded in misery. “I was. But I just forgot.”

“I know. You’re good with them. But this is one of the dangers of being near a lake. I need you to really understand, okay?”

Water dripped all around the boy. He sniffled, but Ivey didn’t think he cried. He peeked up at Corbin. “Are you mad?”

“No.” Kneeling down, Corbin used the edge of his hand to lift Justin’s chin. “We’re all human, remember? We all make mistakes. This was a mistake, and it scared me. Bad.”

“Cuz I fell in?”

“Yes.”

Justin looked over at the water. “I hit my elbow.” With a shaky breath, he added, “It scared me, too, when I sank.”

“You’re used to swimming with a life preserver, but it’s entirely different when you aren’t wearing one. One day soon we’ll go to the beach and I’ll make sure you know how to swim, okay? Not that you can skip the preserver, but it’d be good for you to know, just in case we have any more accidents.” Corbin drew his own deep breath. “Though I expect you to remember the rules. Got it?”

Justin nodded.

“You scared me, too,” Lang said, joining them on the dock. “Corbin sounded panicked, and that doesn’t happen often.”

“He did?”

“Damn straight.” Lang put a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Dads are like that.”

Ivey looked back to see Hope sitting in the grass with the puppies climbing on her.

Obviously giving his brother a chance to collect himself, Lang went on, “Your dad told you how our mom was about us swimming, right? Even when we were older than you are now, she had to know when we were in the water so she could keep tabs on us. What if you’d hit your head instead of your elbow? What if you hadn’t been able to hold on to the ladder?”

“There’s an undercurrent in the water,” Corbin explained. “Where you fall in isn’t always where you stay. If you’d gotten knocked out...” He briefly closed his eyes in another bid for calm. “If I hadn’t found you right away, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Cuz you were scared, huh?”

Little by little, Justin seemed less worried and more fascinated. Ivey wondered at that reaction. Had no one ever shown him so much concern?

“I was terrified.” Corbin dropped back to sit on his butt. Muscled arms draped over his knees, he regarded Justin. “I need your word of honor that you won’t go near the lake alone. Not for any reason.”

Quickly nodding, Justin said, “Not even if Frankenstein is swimming.”

Corbin’s mouth quirked, then he pulled Justin in for another hug.

“Ah, hell.” Lang lifted his nose into the air. “My ribs!” He took off running for the deck stairs.

Wearing a grim expression, Justin watched him go. “Did I ruin dinner?”

“No. It’ll be fine.” Corbin stood. “Let me see your elbow.”

“It’s okay.”

Corbin lifted his arm anyway, then whistled. “I bet that stings.”

Ivey peeked to see, then winced in sympathy. Justin had scraped off the skin and it was already bruising. “You can bend it okay?”

“Yeah.” He flexed his arm to prove it.

“Let’s you and I go get some dry clothes.” Corbin glanced at Ivey. “You’ll bring in the animals?”

“Of course.” She was so proud of how Corbin had handled things, she felt a little weepy. She could use a minute or two to recoup. “Go on. We’ll see you on the deck.”

“Thanks.” One hand to the back of Justin’s neck, Corbin walked off with his son.

Ivey dropped down to sit with Hope on the grass. “That was intense.”

Hope continued to corral the puppies as they kept trying to scatter. “Ivey, did your parents ever smack you?”

She put Daisy between them, then gathered a puppy into her lap so Hope would have less to contend with. “Once, when I was young, maybe half Justin’s age, I remember wandering off at a campsite. Like Justin chasing the ducks, I went after a butterfly. By the time it flew away for good, I realized I was lost in the woods. Nothing looked familiar.”

Hope half turned toward her. “What happened?”

“I sat down and cried. Finally Dad heard me, and a few minutes later he came crashing through the woods like a grizzly bear.” Ivey hadn’t thought about that long-ago day in forever. “He was shaking, his eyes a little wild.” She smiled, remembering how relieved she was to see him. “He shook me, gave me a smack on the butt, then he squeezed me tight for the longest time.”

“Somewhat like how Corbin reacted.”

“Minus the butt smack.” She glanced back at the house and saw Lang industriously transferring ribs to a platter. “Later Dad told me that I’d scared a decade off his life. He lectured me for three days on things that could have happened, and how devastated he and my mom would have been without me.”

“Come and get it,” Lang called out.

“Your dad’s reaction actually sounds kind of nice.” Standing, Hope brushed off the grass and then lifted two of the puppies into her arms. “I can’t remember my parents ever being that angry with me, not even when they knew I’d done something against the rules.”

“Like what?” Ivey gathered up Daisy and the other pup. She really needed to figure out homes for them. Eventually. But...not yet.

“I don’t know. Like...sneaking out at night with my sister. There was a party at a neighbor’s house, and my father had said she couldn’t go. I woke when she was climbing out the window, so I went with her.”

As they walked up the incline, Ivey grinned. “Somehow I can’t imagine you sneaking away for a party.”

“I didn’t care about that. Not really. But I worried for Charity.”

“Charity is your sister?” Surprised, Ivey said, “You realize you’ve never shared her name before.”

Coming to a dead stop, Hope stared at her. “I haven’t?”

“No. You’ve only ever referred to her as your sister.”

Bemused, Hope shook her head. “I guess to me, that was the most important part. She was my sister and she’d...stopped loving me.” Her eyes widened as she looked at Ivey again. “Over something that wasn’t my fault.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Ivey wondered if seeing the way Corbin had handled the situation with Justin had brought up memories for Hope. It must mean something that she’d talk about it now.

“You know—” Hope gave a tremulous smile “—I think I forgive her.”

Ivey got them walking again but at a very slow pace. “Why now?”

“Because I’m so happy, I guess.” Hope looked up at the deck where Lang carried food to the table. “He hasn’t made any promises, and I haven’t asked for any. I don’t know if this will last another week or...forever. But regardless of what happens between us, I know I’m better now. I know that tomorrow, I can face the day with less anxiety. The past seems less relevant now, so Charity’s part in it is less, too.” Shaking her head, she gave a crooked smile. “Does that make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense, and I’m so glad.” New perspectives, that’s what Hope had. Ivey knew her friend would prefer that her romance with Lang continued, but now she knew she could have romance, and that was the most important part. “The brothers have certainly taken Sunset by storm.”

With a conspiratorial smile, Hope said, “At least for us.” They were almost to the deck stairs when she paused. “You’re totally, madly in love with Corbin, aren’t you?”

Ivey didn’t hesitate, but she did lower her a voice to a barely there whisper. It wouldn’t do for Corbin to find out before she was ready to tell him. “Am I that transparent?”

“To me, yes.” Since they each had their arms full, Hope merely leaned into her, shoulder to shoulder, friend to friend.

Sister to sister.

“You never looked like this with Geoff.” Hope glanced around, then down at the dogs. “Here, with Corbin, in this setting and with his son, you’re in your element, Ivey. It’s as if you were put in the place you were always meant to be.”

Oh, be still my heart.“That’s such a beautiful way to put it, and pretty darned accurate. Everything about this feels so right. So much so, it’s almost scary.”

“Scary how?”

“Well, unlike some amazingly awesome woman I know, if things ended tomorrow, I don’t know what I’d do. Ending things with Geoff felt liberating. With Corbin? It’d be like losing a vital piece of myself.”

Lang leaned over the railing. “I can hear you both whispering, and it’s making me think it must be something juicy. Either of you care to share?”

“Ah, no,” Ivey said with a grin. “Are the ribs burned?”

“A little singed around the edges maybe.” He left the railing, and a second later he came down the steps. “Here, let me help.” He took the puppy from Ivey, put an arm around Hope, and together they moved up the stairs.

Yes, life here was idyllic.

Now if only she could make it last a lifetime.

That night, in bed, Corbin stared at the ceiling as shadows from the moon shifted and flowed. Arms folded behind his head and Ivey close beside him, he should have been falling asleep.

Instead, he thought about his son, about the things he hadn’t known, the things that Justin kept bottled up inside. Life would be so much easier if Corbin could learn all the ugly details at once, rather than be blindsided again and again.

Remembering how Justin had flinched, as if he thought Corbin would hit him—

“Hey.” Ivey’s small, soft hand moved over his chest. “You okay?”

Uncanny how she always sensed when something was bothering him, more so than anyone else ever had. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Something woke me.” Sitting up, she balanced on one arm and looked him over. The filtered moonlight played over her cheek, her throat, the thrust of her breasts beneath a large T-shirt. She twisted around to see the clock, then stifled a yawn. “It’s after midnight. Why aren’t you asleep?”

He didn’t want to get Ivey wide-awake, too, so he lowered his arms to hold her and tumbled her onto his chest. “I’m so glad you’re here, Ivey.” With me.

She made a soft sound of exasperation. “I’m glad, but that doesn’t answer my question. You can talk to me, you know.”

“Tomorrow I will.”

“You’re awake now, Corbin. Heck, I’m awake, too.”

“I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Sleep.”

For nearly a minute, she was silent. “Justin is okay.”

“Yes.” Now. But for ten years...

“Shh,” Ivey whispered. “Don’t think about the past. Think about the future and how awesome it’s going to be for both of you.”

How could he not smile? “You think so?”

“With you as his father? Of course. You’ll sometimes spoil him, sometimes have to discipline him.” She stacked her hands on his chest and smiled up at him. “But most of all, you’ll support him and love him and just be there for him. Always.”

Corbin touched a soft curl that hung over her eyes. “Always.” More and more every day, he wanted Ivey to share that future with him.

“Now,” she said with great authority, “we can sleep.”

Yeah, he probably could. Keeping her right where she was, Corbin adjusted the covers over her. “Good night, Ivey.” He heard her breathing going deeper, and he whispered, “Thank you.”