he second-guessed his every decision. This was one of them.
He reached for patience. “How much longer will they keep you?”
Rolling a shoulder, she said, “They’ll let me out soon, but I don’t know what to do.” Very deliberately, she smoothed the sheet over her chest. “You might not believe this, but I never wanted to hurt Justin. He’s a good boy, just more than I could handle on my own.”
Corbin noticed that she hadn’t yet asked how Justin was doing. Seeing her so thin, more so than when she’d given him Justin, he couldn’t take offense. “I can understand that.”
“I thought Carl was going to marry me, but that fell apart.” Defensively, she said, “That’s the only reason I got so messed up. The damn pills didn’t mix well, I guess.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Now I have nothing and no one. I’m all alone.”
The piteous tone grated. “That’s not actually true.” He hesitated, feeling both compassionate and repelled. To think that his son had spent ten years with this woman, that he’d had no one else around to protect him, made Corbin’s blood burn. “You have your life, Darcie. And if you think you’d like to get things back on track, I’d be willing to help.”
Her eyes, the same shade of blue as Justin’s, took his measure. Miraculously, the tears disappeared. Letting her voice drop, she tried a coy smile that was ludicrous under the circumstances. “Our son could use two parents. It’d be easier together. I bet Justin would like that.”
It took all his concentration not to jolt away from that repugnant suggestion. Him, with Darcie? The things he felt for her, resentment, anger, remorse and pity, were not conducive to a romantic relationship. She was the opposite of Ivey, lacking her vitality, her spirit and her huge capacity for love.
Insulting Darcie in any way wouldn’t help his cause though. “I’m involved with someone else.”
“You’re not married,” she shot back with sharp annoyance.
Her mercurial moods likely explained a lot of Justin’s wariness. It wouldn’t be easy for a kid to never know how a parent might react. “Not yet, no.” He definitely wanted a lifetime commitment, though. With Ivey. “But our relationship is serious.”
Alarm flashed over her ravaged features. “Since when?”
“Darcie,” he chided. “I came here to see if there’s a way I can help you, not to talk about me.”
She eyed him. “So you’ll do what? Give me money?”
Money was what she’d asked for, and initially, even before her call, it was what he’d planned to give. But he sensed that would only make things better for the very short-term. There was also the worry that she’d use cash for drugs.
For Justin’s sake, Corbin wanted to see real, substantial change. “What do you hope to see for your future?”
Her expression made it clear she saw that as a trick question. “I love my son.”
In her own way, she likely did. “I assume that’s why you gave him to me. You knew you needed help, didn’t you? You wanted what’s best for him.”
She jumped on that with desperate haste. “Yes! I knew you could take care of him. It was past time for you to have a turn.”
He’d have been there from the start if she had seen fit to tell him...but he resisted saying so. “I agree. I’ll see to him from now on.”
With belligerence, she argued, “He’s still my son. I have a right to see him.”
She’d signed away her rights, but again, he tried to keep things civil. “I agree.”
That stunned her silent.
“I think you know that it’d be best if you were...in better shape first?” Corbin rushed on before she could take offense. “You spent ten years caring for him on your own.”
“And it wasn’t easy!”
He acknowledged that with a nod. “Now that you know he’s safe with me, you should concentrate on yourself for a while. This could be your turn at a better life. A life that could start right now, don’t you think?” He couldn’t say she looked interested, but at least she was listening. “There are programs, Darcie. I understand they can help. I’d like you to complete one.” He knew it would only work if she wanted it, too, so he needed her cooperation. “What do you say?”
She took plenty of time to think about it. “I’m not admitting I have a problem, because I don’t. Besides, even if I finished rehab, then what? I’m back out on the streets?”
“Not if I repaid you for those ten years