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