“I guess that would be okay.” Reaching out past Ivey, Justin offered his small hand.
Taking it in both of her own, Vesta smiled. “You have the look of him, you know.” Slowly, she tugged him closer. “Different colored eyes, but the shape is the same.”
“As my dad?”
“Yes.” Her smile wobbled. “Seems like only yesterday your dad and uncle were young like you. Time goes by much too quickly.”
Coming up beside her, Lang said, “He has our height, too, Mom. Did you notice?”
“Yes, a very big, strong, handsome boy.” Vesta breathed a little faster. “Sorry, but the hug is busting out of me. You’ll just have to suffer through it.” She tugged Justin forward, but embraced him more carefully than she had Ivey or Lang, giving him plenty of room to push away if he chose. He didn’t.
Rocking him side to side, she whispered, “I am so very pleased to be your grandma, Justin. Very, very pleased.”
With a grimace on his face, Justin held his arms stiff at his sides, but he didn’t look afraid. He merely looked uncomfortable, as any ten-year-old boy might under the circumstances.
Vesta didn’t take it too far. Releasing him, she asked, “Now who are all these delightful critters watching us? Goodness, there are a lot of them.”
Oh, score one for grandma, Ivey thought, feeling impressed with Vesta’s tactic. Few topics would get Justin going like a discussion on animals.
Wiggling free, Justin said with pride, “They’re my pets.”
“All of them?” Vesta asked, giving Lang a curious blink.
“Long story,” Lang said. “Or maybe a short story, once you learn that Ivey is a veterinarian.”
“Ah, I see.”
Justin lifted Daisy into his arms. “She’s mine, and the puppies are hers. Maurice—the cat—is Ivey’s, but he likes me, too.”
“Well, of course he does. Why wouldn’t he?” Kicking off her sandals, Vesta lowered herself to the floor, then patted a spot beside her. “Come sit with me, young man, and introduce me to all these wonderful animals.”
More at ease now, Justin plopped down beside her and was immediately mobbed by the puppies.
Hagan sighed. “Told her I was hungry, and what does she do? Pets and kids are guaranteed to sidetrack her for a good long while.”
“Oh.” Ivey quickly shut the door. “I can get something together for you.”
“Lang can do it,” Vesta said. “Isn’t that right, son?”
Looking suspicious as to her motives, Lang cautiously agreed. “I have dinner almost done anyway. Should be enough to go around as long as no one is a glutton.”
Insistent, Vesta patted the floor at her other side. “I want Ivey to sit right with us so she and I can get acquainted.”
“Oh, um...” Why did Ivey have such a bad feeling about this?
With precision leverage, Vesta suggested, “Justin will probably be more comfortable with you near.”
Well, that cinched it.
Ivey shrugged her purse off her shoulder and set it on the entry table. She put her shoes by the front door and joined Corbin’s mother.
Lang and Hagan looked at each other with male-inspired smiles. “Come on, Hagan. You can snack on something while I mash the potatoes.” Together, they headed into the kitchen.
Vesta allowed Justin to guide the conversation, but in between kid-appropriate questions, she asked Ivey about her relationship with Corbin. Ivey answered where she could, being judicious with little ears nearby.
“I take it you live here?”
“Sort of? I mean, I stay here often since it’s more convenient—”
“She lives here,” Justin confirmed. “That’s why all the animals are here. Isn’t that great?”
Pleased with Justin’s attitude, Ivey met Vesta’s curious gaze and shrugged. “I still have my own house, but yes, I stay here most nights.”
“Wonderful,” she murmured, and Ivey could see the wheels turning.
Lang chose that auspicious moment to poke his head around the corner. He eyed both women, then said to Justin, “Time to wash up for dinner, bud. Make sure you do a good job, okay?”
“Okay.” Like a shot, Justin was off, the animals chasing after him.
“He’s a bottomless pit,” Ivey explained. “I think he could eat sunup to sundown and still be ready for more. Of course, he’s always active, too. Probably burns it off quickly.”
Vesta smiled at her. It was a cunning smile that made Ivey uneasy.
She tried to excuse herself on the pretense of supervising Justin.
Vesta didn’t give her a chance. “You’re good with him.”
Funny how such a simple compliment could immediately put Ivey at ease. “Thank you. I don’t have any children of my own, but he’s so sweet, how could I not love him?”
“Exactly.” Vesta leaned closer. “You love my son, too, don’t you?” When Ivey hesitated, Vesta gave her a nudge that almost toppled her. “You can tell me, honey. He’s wonderful, isn’t he? I know because I raised him to be that way.”
That made Ivey laugh. “Not that you’re biased or anything.”
“Of course I am, but it doesn’t change the facts. Both of my boys are incredible men. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
“They really are,” Ivey agreed. “Corbin bowled me over as soon as I met him. He’s so warm and caring about Justin, but also hot in the extreme.” She fanned her face. “Scorching hot.”
“Takes after his father that way,” Vesta whispered. “Lord, how I miss that man. But I don’t want Hagan to hear me say that. It would hurt his feelings, you know.”
By the second, Ivey liked Vesta more. “Hagan seems nice.”
“He dotes on me,” she confided. “When I was at my loneliest, Hagan brightened my spirits. I adore his company—but I can’t see me ever marrying him.”
Fascinated, Ivey turned to fully face her. “No?”
“Shhh... He can’t hear that, either.” She peeked toward the kitchen, must have decided they had privacy and admitted, “My finances would all have to be redone if I married again. Besides, I rather like the no-pressure aspect of just being together.” Turning up her nose, she added, “I’m the independent sort.”
“I can understand that.”
“Can you?” Vesta’s piercing gaze dissected Ivey until she blushed. “If my Corbin asked, would you marry him?”