The Summer of No Attachments (The Summer Friends #2) - Lori Foster Page 0,73
“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.”
Chapter Twelve
Holding her phone in her left hand, ignoring the pain in her right, Ivey thumbed in a text to Corbin.
Be late tonight. Eat without me.
He immediately replied with: What’s wrong?
So astute. Ivey smiled and returned, Explan latr. Blast. She didn’t see the typos until she’d already hit Send. Texting left-handed wasn’t easy. Be a few hrs yet.
OK but if you need me let me know.
Will do. Ivey sighed happily. It was so nice having someone worry about her. Not that Corbin needed more worries, and not that she needed that from him. He cared, and that’s what she hugged to her heart.
The doctor stitching her arm glanced at her. “I take it everything is okay?”
From a chair in the small exam room, her friend, Ember Somerset, laughed. “She has a hot new boyfriend. Trust me, everything is fine.”
“Ah,” the doctor said. “Do tell.”
“He moved here back in May,” Ivey explained. Dr. Moore had stitched her up more than once, but this was the first time Ivey’d had an interesting story to share while she did. “He’s gorgeous. Funny and sweet. And he has the most adorable little son.”
Dr. Moore lifted one finely arched eyebrow. “Gorgeous, huh?”
“She’s smitten,” Ember pointed out. “But he really is easy on the eyes. Don’t tell Mike I said that, though.”
“Mike knows you aren’t blind,” Dr. Moore said. She tied off the last stitch, then sat back. “Done. That was quite the bite this time.”
“It was quite the dog.” Ivey exchanged a look with Ember. She and her sister, Autumn, ran an animal rescue farm. They had every type of animal from dogs and cats to cows and sheep and even a turkey and chickens. It was heartbreaking, sometimes backbreaking work, and yes, occasionally, in the course of assisting them with the medical needs of the animals, Ivey got bit. As much as the sisters did to help animals, donating her time as a vet was the least Ivey could do.
“He’d been mistreated,” Ivey explained, “so he didn’t trust us. He needed his own stitches, along with shots and a flea treatment.” And a lot of love. “He’ll be okay, though.” The sisters would see to that.
“He bit Ivey before we could get him subdued. I think he was in pain, but by the time we left, he was already calming down.”
“Autumn will coddle him, and soon he’ll feel all the love.”
“Yes.” Ember tried and failed to remove her scowl. “If I ever find the bastard who hurt him, I’ll...” She let the threat hang out there, maybe because she couldn’t think of anything dire enough.
Ivey said again, more gently and with assurance, “He’ll be okay.”
Ember nodded. “We’ll make sure of it.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Dr. Moore said. “I admire you both so much, and of course, Autumn, too.”
“And Mike and Tash,” Ember added. “They do a lot to help.”