Page 25 of Summer Fling (The Kingston Brothers #5)

Chapter Sixteen

Blake

I t was the perfect week with Lilliana and Dalton. I painted with Lilliana every day and took her various places around the island on days we didn't spend at the beach.

I was avoiding making a decision about my career. But I'd need to figure something out. The next semester would be starting up soon, and I needed to decide if I'd be in the classroom this time or not.

With the money I'd already spent on tuition, it made sense to finish my degree. But it felt like I was pushing my dreams off for another year or even two.

I wanted to spend my time painting and making a difference in people's lives. I wanted to share my passion with others.

I didn't want to leave Blake and Lilliana. That's why I was avoiding thinking about it at all. On Sunday night, we were just sitting down to dinner when the doorbell rang.

"You don't think it's Oakley, do you?" I asked, somewhat nervous that she thought she could take Lilliana when it was Dalton's week.

"I don't know." Dalton headed for the door, and I held my breath, listening for who it could be. I focused on Lilliana, not wanting her to sense that I was upset.

The door opened, and there was a murmuring of voices, but I couldn't hear who it was.

"She's my daughter. I can take her whenever I want," Oakley's voice broke through.

I felt panicked. I should take Lilliana away from her mother's yelling. I quickly cleaned up the high chair and pulled her from her seat. "Let's get you in the bath."

I went upstairs and started the water, my hands shaking. I couldn't believe that Oakley was here. Dalton was clear that he wanted to stick to a schedule. Would Oakley call the police? Would they take Lilliana from us?

I remembered Dalton saying that they both have custody so the police couldn't do anything if he wanted to keep her. She'd have to take her issues to the court, which scared me too. Why did Oakley have to be like this? Why couldn't she see how she affected Dalton and Lilliana?

I got Lilliana settled in the tub, playing with her toys. Thankfully, she was unaware that her mother was downstairs causing a ruckus.

A few minutes later, Dalton came into the bathroom, leaning on the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" I asked tentatively.

"She's not happy." He gestured for me to come into the hallway where we could still see Lilliana but keep our voices softer.

"You told her it wasn't her week?"

"That really made her mad. She wants to take her whenever it’s convenient for her.”

"She could have spent time with her last week."

"It's not about Lilliana. It's only about what she wants."

"What do you think she'll do about it?"

"Talk to her attorney. He'll tell her the same thing mine did.

She doesn't have any legal recourse currently.

Ashton said it was fine to enforce the schedule even if it's not an official agreement.

It shows that I want stability for Lilliana.

But I have to be prepared for her to escalate the situation.

" He looked away. "Am I doing the right thing? "

His vulnerable question got to me. "It's good to set boundaries with her. You can't treat her like someone who's reasonable."

"I don't want to set her off and make things worse. What if she keeps Lilliana in retaliation?"

"She might. Then we'll have to go to court."

His eyes flashed on the word we, but I wanted him to know I'd be by his side no matter what he decided. "I made my decisions, and I'll stick with it."

"Keep reinforcing the idea that this is your week, and she'll see Lilliana next week. She's welcome to video call if she wants, right?" I hadn't heard her doing it though.

He sighed. "She almost never takes me up on that offer. I feel badly that Lilliana hasn't seen her for more than a week."

"She did see her for that one night, remember?"

"That's true."

"And this was her decision. She chose to go on a trip during her week with Lilliana. She could have gone on your week."

He nodded. "She brought this on herself."

"She's going to take every inch you give her, and you'll be right back where you started."

"With her pulling the strings."

That was an interesting analogy I hadn't heard him say before. I wondered if he'd been talking to anyone about the situation. "Is that how it feels?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "She essentially gets what she wants, and I accommodate her demands. How else would you describe it?"

"This really bothers you," I observed, falling back on my therapy background.

"It has for a long time. I just wasn't brave enough to do anything about it."

"You were protecting your daughter. And you are now too."

He pulled me into his chest, holding me tight. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in the scent of him, knowing that he had a good view of Lilliana over my head.

I could hear her splashing and babbling, completely unaware of the battle brewing between her parents.

He pulled back slightly and looked at me. "Are you okay?"

I tipped my head slightly. "I am."

"You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"I knew what I was getting into when you hired me. You were upfront about Oakley's habits. When you asked me to be your girlfriend, I suspected she'd have a problem with it."

"Still. I want to shield you from her."

"When I heard her at the door, I brought Lilliana up here so she wouldn't hear her mother's raised voice."

"I appreciate that so much. When Oakley is yelling, it's hard to think, much less react."

I touched his face. "I'm here for you and Lilliana."

He crushed me against his body. It felt like he was overcome with emotions. I couldn't blame him. It was a stressful situation, and his ability to see his daughter hung in the balance. The only thing I could do was be there for him and Lilliana.

Together we finished Lilliana's bath, and then he got her into bed. I watched in the hallway as he dimmed the lights in her room and read her a story in the rocker in the corner. After he finished the story, he sang her a lullaby that had my heart skipping a beat.

I'd never been close enough to see his usual bedtime routine, and it almost felt too personal to be watching now. I slipped away, careful not to make any noise. I didn't want to wake Lilliana.

I took a few deep breaths and grabbed a glass of water, taking it outside to enjoy the quiet evening. It had become a habit for me to come here, and then Dalton would meet me after he got Lilliana in her crib.

A few minutes later, the slider opened. "Why'd you leave?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your moment with her. It was very sweet."

He sat next to me. "I read a book and then sing to her. It was something we started when she was a newborn. She fell asleep in the swing while I held her hand and sung to her. I didn't think I had a good voice, but she's always liked it."

I bumped my shoulder with his. "Because you're her dad. You're her hero."

"I want to be."

"You already are." In my eyes, he was already her hero, her champion.

He'd do anything for her, including protecting her from her mother.

There was nothing he wouldn't do for her, and it made me fall for him a little more.

Fairly soon, I would be in a free fall with no way of going back.

Sensing he needed a distraction, I asked, "How's the maze going? "

"I talked to Willow, who's getting me in contact with a topiarist. I need someone who can maintain it too. But one step at a time."

"I can't wait to see it. It's going to be amazing."

"Yeah, Phyllis wants to have another party to celebrate the grand opening." Then he focused on me. "You should go out with the girls. Didn't they ask you out?"

"Yeah, but you need me here."

"I can handle one night without you. I'm used to doing this all on my own."

I smiled. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

He sobered. "Not at all. I just want you to be happy. It's probably selfish of me to even think this, but if you had friends here, maybe you'd decide to stay."

I hadn't realized he wanted me to stay. That it was even a consideration for him. "I would like to go out with the girls. I've missed having that connection with other women."

"Go out and have fun. I'll look forward to you coming home."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "How have you not been snatched up by some lucky woman yet?"

He groaned. "I got tangled up in Oakley; that's how."

"You got Lilliana out of the deal, and she's amazing."

"Lil is amazing. As difficult as Oakley can be, I could never regret having my daughter."

If I was falling for him and he wanted me to stay, I'd have to think about whether I could handle having Oakley in my life for the next however-many years.

Would she always cause trouble? Would she eventually move on to some other guy, or even better, would she be more self-aware and realize how her actions were affecting everyone around her, including her daughter?

I had a feeling she wouldn't give up easily, and I'd have to be prepared for that.

Dalton shifted so that he was facing me. "Having Lilliana brought you into my life. I can't regret that either. Everything has been so good lately. I have to believe that it will continue to get better."

I wasn't so sure about that. When I worked in therapy sessions, conflict with exes over childcare were intense. But I wasn't going to bring in my clinical background. Not when he was looking at me with so much tenderness.

He kissed me, and I climbed into his lap, needing to feel him. He was large and hard, and I was present in this moment with him. I wouldn't think about his ex or the future. It was just him and me and this thing we were building.

I took the path laid out for me: went to college after high school, then a master's degree, and finally, almost, a doctorate.

But I'd paused my career to figure out if this was what I wanted.

Exploring this thing with Dalton was part of it.

I wanted to do more of what felt good, and grinding over his cock felt amazing.

His hands cupped my breasts through my shirt, and I arched against his palms, needing more.

We made quick work of our clothes, both of us desperate to be skin-to-skin. He gripped his cock, and I went up on my knees, desperate to slide over his length, but Dalton asked," Do we need a condom?"

"Are you worried about me getting pregnant?" As a single father, Dalton probably thought about that. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable or risk anything.

"You're on birth control though."

"I am."

"Then I trust you."

Everything inside me relaxed. That was saying a lot after being in relationship with Oakley. He wasn't positive that she hadn't done something to get pregnant on purpose. But he trusted me.

I moved over him, sinking inch by inch. He felt so good. My entire body was flushed from the combination of the night air and the heat radiating between us. There was chemistry, but there was so much more.

It was probably crazy to think that we had any kind of future, but in moments like this, I liked to imagine that this was my life. That I lived here with Dalton, and we could be in a real relationship. That I'd figure out my career, and I'd be deliriously happy here on the island.

But that kind of thinking was a suspension of reality.

I had to hold onto that feeling because the more time we spent together, the more I wanted something lasting with him. I wanted to be in his and Lilliana's lives. I wanted him to come home to me in the evenings.

I moved over him, rising and falling, a tingling sensation already building in my body. I needed him to release me, to let me fall over that edge.

He shifted so that he could suck on one nipple, and I couldn't control my reaction anymore. I gripped his shoulders as I exploded, my body spasming around his.

"You're so beautiful." He gripped me as he surged into me from below, his muscles tightening as he finally let go.

I sagged over him, my arms wrapped around his neck. I was banded against his body. When we finally came down from the euphoria of our orgasms, I moved off him.

"No condoms makes things messier." He grabbed his shirt and mopped up his cum.

"You want to take a shower?" I asked him.

"I like how you think." We gathered our clothes and rushed upstairs and into the shower. By the time the water was warm, we were laughing from trying to be quiet and failing miserably.

"It's a good thing Lilliana can't get out of her crib yet. We'd be in trouble if she could roam the house at night."

"We'll have to take advantage of the time we have," I said, meaning it in more ways than one.

He kissed me as we stepped under the stream of water. "We sure do."

I laughed against his mouth, knowing that he couldn't resist playing around in the shower. When I was naked, he couldn't seem to stop himself from touching me.

I didn't mind. I loved that he was insatiable for me. I'd enjoy this time with him because I wasn't sure how much longer we'd have together.

There were so many variables: Oakley, the custody case, and my career. I didn't have answers for any of it. But I knew I felt good when I was with Dalton.