give it.
But for now, her friend was in a fog of happiness. Even pet owners made note of Hope’s lighter mood at the clinic.
“I’ve gotten very attached to the puppies, that’s true.”
“And you trust very few people to treat them the same way you would.”
She considered that and admitted that she trusted Corbin and Justin both. “Wouldn’t that just give you more to deal with?”
He tugged on her hand until she stood, then he drew her around by his chair and urged her onto his thighs. Holding her on his lap, his arms around her waist, he smiled at her. “I was thinking, hoping, that you’d like to join us each night for dinner and maybe a swim.” Leaning forward, he kissed her, but with his son nearby he kept it light. “That would make a nice addition to our routine.”
Overcome with emotion, Ivey sank against him, her face turned into his neck, her arms around him. “I would love that so much.”
His hand went up and down her spine. “But?”
“I can’t leave Maurice each night.”
“Does he travel okay? You could bring him. He likes seeing Daisy anyway.”
Wow, it truly sounded as if they were combining their lives. She hugged him tighter. “Maurice does fine in his carrier for short trips.” Everything seemed to be changing suddenly, but she didn’t mind. She already knew how she felt, how she’d felt almost from the first day she’d met him.
“So what do you think? Yes?”
He smelled so good, and she couldn’t resist opening her mouth against his throat for just a moment. She felt him stir, and that stirred her, too. Sitting back a little, she nodded. “Yes. On one condition.” Not giving him a chance to ask, she said, “Any time it might not be convenient, you only need to let me know.”
“Same from you, okay?” He took her mouth in another brief kiss. “I want to spend time with you, but I don’t want you pressured to fit it in.”
When Justin laughed, they both looked toward him. He held the comic book high while one of the puppies tried to get it. Careful not to disturb Daisy or Maurice, he put the comic on the coffee table and snuggled the pup up close.
Awww. “I love your kid, Corbin. Just absolutely love him.”
“I’m glad.”
The way he said that and the weight in his words surprised her. She immediately got lost in his golden-brown gaze.
Oh, what she wouldn’t give to spend an entire night with him. How that would work, she had no idea, so she didn’t say it out loud. But she wanted it. So very, very much.
Carrying the pup, Justin came into the kitchen. “Is this one a boy or a girl?”
Ivey started to scramble off Corbin’s lap, but he held onto her and Justin didn’t appear to see anything amiss. Taking the puppy from him, Ivey lifted it high to take a peek, then declared, “Boy.” They all had the same coloring without any distinguishing differences yet, other than personality. “There are two boys and one girl.”
Tilting toward her, Justin whispered, “How can you tell?”
Wicked amusement lit Corbin’s eyes. “Yeah, Ivey. How can you?”
But hey, she’d been a veterinarian for a long time, so she whispered right back, “The boys have penises and the girl does not.” Gently, she cradled the pup on her thighs so that his little round belly was up. “You see?”
Very seriously, Justin scrunched up his face and peered at the dog. “Yeah.” Typical of a child, he moved right on from that, his curiosity appeased. “Could I name him Freddy, like Freddy Krueger?”
“You still want that name, huh?” She pretended to consider it. “You know, I think he’d like that.”
Slyly, he asked, “Could I name the other boy dog Jason?”
Ivey barely swallowed her laugh. “Sure.” With a sigh, she added, “And now we’re back to the girl pup and the difficulty of a name for her.”
“How about Lily? In the comic book, Frankenstein’s monster married Lily.”
“Oh, that’s genius! I think Lily sounds perfect.”
Justin edged in closer, hesitated a second, and then his skinny arms went around Ivey’s neck and he gave her a fierce hug. Equally stunned and moved by the unexpected gesture, she drew him closer with one arm and breathed in his little-boy smell of sun-warmed hair and skin.
Since she was still on Corbin’s lap, Corbin easily enclosed them both in his long muscular arms, then kissed each of them on the head.
As Justin wriggled free, he asked, “Got any more pie?”
Ivey