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 the second week had been even better. Now every day with him only reinforced the idea that a good relationship was based on compatibility.
Corbin started to reply, when suddenly Justin called out, “Dad, there are ducks on the dock!”
“Hey,” Corbin called after him, seeing him running down the slight incline toward the water. “Justin, don’t go on the dock without me.”
With Daisy and the puppies yapping after him, Justin didn’t reply.
Quickly, Corbin stood Ivey on her feet and moved to the stairs leading down to the yard. “Justin, wait for me!”
Maurice sat up, ears twitching.
Pausing on the grill, Lang asked, “What’s happening?”
Ivey followed Corbin, but explained, “I guess Justin isn’t supposed to go near the water.”
Standing at the railing, Hope said, “Too late!” and they all heard a splash.
“Justin.” Corbin was flat out running now, his long legs eating up the distance to reach his son. Ducks squawked, Daisy cowered near a tree and the puppies bounded around in excitement.
Corbin reached the dock, his head jerking around as he searched, and then he, too, went into the water.
Ivey waited, her hand to her racing heart, wondering how she could help, what she should do.
A second later, Corbin called out, “I have him! He’s fine.”
Releasing a tense breath, Ivey gathered the animals as quickly as she could. Luckily, Lang and Hope had followed. She deposited them into their arms so she could continue on to the dock.
T-shirt sticking to his body, his sodden shorts almost falling off and his head hanging, Justin climbed the ladder and stood on the dock.
Corbin hauled himself out beside him. His mouth was set in a hard line and his expression was grim. For a few seconds he just stood there, hands on his hips, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. Deep breaths that Ivey assumed were a bid for control of his temper and fear.
“You know the rules, Justin,” Corbin finally said, his tone moderate. And yet, as he lifted both hands to push back his hair, Justin flinched away.
“I didn’t mean to!”
Dear God. Justin reacted as someone who’d been...struck. Horrified, Ivey resisted the urge to hug Justin close, to promise him it would be all right. She knew it, but Justin needed to know it, too, and she trusted Corbin to handle it.
Corbin’s eyes flared, then he hauled Justin close and held him. Ivey saw him swallow twice before he could speak. “Okay, first. I will never strike you, son. Not ever.”
Justin didn’t so much as move. His hands were down at his sides, his narrow back heaving.
“Second.” Corbin levered him back to see his face, and his voice grew gruff. “You scared me to death. The rules are there for a reason. Can you tell me what they are?”
Justin didn’t meet his gaze, but he nodded. “I can’t go in the water alone.” Speaking faster, he said, “But it was an accident! The ducks started flapping their wings and I tripped and just...fell in.”
“Which is a good reason never to go near the dock without a life preserver. Not for any reason.”
“I wanted to see the ducks,” he mumbled.
“I don’t care if you see a mermaid. A pot of gold. Even if Frankenstein is swimming by. No matter what, you wait for me or another adult, and you always wear a life preserver. Understood?”
Nodding, Justin let his head drop even more. Ivey thought his chin probably touched his chest.
Unable to bear it but hesitant to interfere, she said gently, “Daisy was startled by all the commotion, and the puppies were running everywhere. I doubt they know how to swim yet.”
Popping his head up, Justin stared at her. “She’s okay?”
“They’re all okay, honey. I gathered them up and now your Uncle Lang and Hope are watching them.”
“But you were supposed to watch them, Justin. When you asked to bring them all into the yard, you said you would.” Corbin put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you remember that?”
Justin nodded in misery. “I was. But I just forgot.”
“I know. You’re good with them. But this is one of the dangers of being near a lake. I need you to really understand, okay?”
Water dripped all around the boy. He sniffled, but Ivey didn’t think he cried. He peeked up at Corbin. “Are you mad?”
“No.” Kneeling down, Corbin used the edge of his hand to lift Justin’s chin. “We’re all human, remember? We all make mistakes. This was a mistake, and it scared me. Bad.”
“Cuz I fell in?”
“Yes.”
Justin looked over at the water. “I hit my elbow.” With a shaky breath, he added, “It scared me, too, when I sank.”
“You’re used to swimming with a life preserver, but it’s entirely different when you aren’t wearing one. One day soon we’ll go to the beach and I’ll make sure you know how to swim, okay? Not that you can skip the preserver, but it’d be good for you to know, just in case we have any more accidents.” Corbin drew his own deep breath. “Though I expect you to remember the rules. Got it?”
Justin nodded.
“You scared me, too,” Lang said, joining them on the dock. “Corbin sounded panicked, and that doesn’t happen often.”
“He did?”
“Damn straight.” Lang put a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Dads are like that.”
Ivey looked back to see Hope sitting in the grass with the puppies climbing on her.
Obviously giving his brother a chance to collect himself, Lang went on, “Your dad told you how our mom was about us swimming, right? Even when we were older than you are now, she had to know when we were in the water so she could keep tabs on us. What if you’d hit your head instead of your elbow? What if you hadn’t been able to hold on to the ladder?”