What about Laurie Strode from Halloween?”
Ivey’s chin tucked in. “You’ve seen the Halloween movies?”
“’Course. And all the Friday the 13th movies. Jason X was the best cuz it was funny, too.”
“Oh, um...” She cast a helpless look at Corbin. “You approved that?”
Now that he’d been included, Corbin stepped closer. “I knew he was a fan, yeah.” He ruffled Justin’s hair. “Your Uncle Lang will be thrilled.”
“He likes scary movies?”
“The scarier, the better.”
“Me, too!” Leaning closer to Ivey, Justin confided, “The Texas Chainsaw movies creeped me out. They were kind of gross.”
Her brows went even higher. “Yes, they were.”
“But I liked Army of Darkness. Ash is awesome.”
In a deepened voice, Ivey said, “This is my boomstick!”
“Ha!” Laughing, Justin rocked the little dog. Her tail waved and she settled against him. Mimicking Ivey’s tone, Justin said, “Come get some.”
“Good one!” Ivey grinned.
On the outside again, Corbin smiled at their antics, but didn’t understand any of it.
“Tell you what.” Ivey reached a hand up to Corbin, and he obligingly helped her stand. Dusting off her backside, she said to Justin, “You can rename Daisy anything you want. She’ll be your dog, and she’s smart enough to adapt.”
He put his cheek to the dog’s head. “You don’t think she’ll mind?” The dog licked his face.
Wearing a soft expression, Ivey shook her head. “I think she’ll love that you love her, period. Now, I do need to have that talk with your dad, so sit tight and we’ll be right back.”
Grabbing his hand again, Ivey towed him into the clinic, closed the door and collapsed back against the wall with dramatic effect. “He’s seen all the Friday the 13th and Halloween movies!”
Corbin discovered that he liked her theatrics, too. She nearly wailed those movies in accusation, but why? With a shrug, he said, “Sounds like he’s seen every horror movie there is.” So that she wouldn’t blame him for that, he added, “I wouldn’t have thought explicit horror was okay for a kid his age, but apparently his mom disagreed.” Overall, he assumed Darcie had done everything she could to keep Justin out of her way. Corbin knew he would be very, very different.
Ivey leveled a frown at him. “My guess is his mother didn’t care.”
“Yeah, unfortunately that seems true.” The muscles in his neck tightened. “From what I saw, Darcie had an issue with drugs. She seemed high when I got him from her, and she made it clear she resented him.”
Ivey touched her mouth. “In front of him?”
“Yes, and that kills me. I should have been there all along, but I didn’t even know about him.”
“How exactly did that happen?”
“I dated Darcie a few times when I was seventeen, nothing even close to serious, then suddenly she moved away. I barely noticed. At seventeen, I was busy setting up college, helping my mom around the house, gaining my independence and all that.” The excuses didn’t sit well now, especially when he thought of Justin as a baby. “Out of the blue, Darcie contacted my mother and said it was critical that she get hold of me. Mom was traveling, but arrangements were made, we met at a park...and she had Justin with her.”
“That must have been a shock.”
“Not at first. I just assumed she was married and had a family. But right there in front of him, she said I was his dad and it was time for me to step up.” His muscles coiled, his stomach cramping. “God, that poor kid just stood there, stiff-necked and fighting tears.” He turned away again, knowing he’d see that awful scene, that he’d feel Justin’s pain for the rest of his life.
“Did you question it?”
“In front of him? Hell no. He was already being put through enough.” He pressed a fist to the wall. “She had all his stuff with him. While I stood there trying to figure out what to say, she tossed his things into my SUV. Justin wouldn’t look at me, but I could see he was terrified, and that made up my mind.”
“You took him.”
“Of course I did.” Knowing his expression was grim, he turned back to her. “She gave Justin a hug, told him she loved him but that she needed a change, and she said he’d have a good life with me.”
Ivey watched him. “I can’t imagine how you must have felt.”
“I was more concerned with how Justin felt. I asked him to give me just a moment with her, then I went with her to her car to