Page 26 of Summer Fling (The Kingston Brothers #5)

Chapter Seventeen

Dalton

I was in the process of laying out the maze at the senior center. My brothers took turns helping me measure and place stakes where I wanted everything to go.

"This is a big project," Hudson said the day he was helping me.

I tried not to think too much about that. I'd done my research, drawn my design, and now it was time to make it become reality. "It's going to be great when it's done. Everyone's going to love coming here. The view from the balcony will be amazing."

He nodded. "It will be a fancy garden; that's for sure. You have someone to maintain it?"

"Willow put me in touch with a guy who does this kind of thing, usually on Captiva and in a few of the other affluent areas in Florida."

"He trims bushes?” Hudson asked, his tone dubious.

"It’s a bit more than that. But yeah, I've seen his work. It's good."

"Do you think the path is wide enough like this?

" I asked him after I staked out a row of three long bushes.

The participants would run down one aisle, realize it was a dead end, and then check each one until they found the path at the end of the third one that would eventually lead to the first clue.

We took turns walking down the aisles, testing the paths out. I tried to imagine the eight-foot-tall hedges that would block my view.

"It works."

"I don't want it to be too wide. I would think you'd want two or three people to be able to run around together.

" That's how I imagined it; there'd be a group of people running around together.

In other cases, groups would split up. But I could see allowing for a bit of space in case certain groups walked side-by-side.

"How are things going with Blake?" Hudson asked as we staked off the corner of the maze. This is where I'd set up the first clue. I had visions of greenery in the background with the clue large enough that the participants would want to snap a picture of it to remember.

"Things are great." Evenings were my favorite part of the day. One of us cooked, usually me, and then we worked together to get Lilliana into her bath and then bed. Then it was our time together.

Every physical touch drew us closer. It was harder to see this ending anytime soon. For me, our time together stretched out indefinitely. I couldn't imagine her leaving, but the idea caused dread to form in my stomach.

"How's Oakley taking it?"

"We had a few issues when she dropped off Lilliana on her week and then wanted her during mine. But she reluctantly went along with the plan."

Hudson took the end of the measuring tape, moving it to the other side of the path. "Nothing's set in writing yet, right?"

I noted the distance, making sure it matched my design specifications. "Ashton is hopeful that we can work things out in mediation. Oakley's working within the parameters I set better than she ever was before."

"To be fair, you were working with her. You didn't make any demands. So this must have been a shock for her."

I checked the measurements of the corner against my design drawing. Satisfied it was correct, I set the stakes in the ground. "That's true."

"I hope she doesn't mess things up for you," Hudson said.

"You mean Oakley?" I said, moving around him to place another stake where he was marking the place.

"Yeah."

I paused, considering him. "She's always going to be a wild card, but if we set the boundaries, then she'll have to live within them one way or the other."

Respect shown in his eyes. "You're confident about this."

"I'm sticking to the plan and trusting it will work out. It has to. I can't imagine not seeing Lilliana as often as I've been. It sucks not to have her for those in-between weeks, but it's better than it was before."

"Is Blake intending to go back to school? Cooper said something about her taking a break from school but she had to go back."

I stiffened. "She hasn't talked about it as much lately. At one point, she mentioned wanting to host art classes, maybe even go back to school for art therapy."

His brow furrowed. "Are you okay with her leaving to finish her schooling?"

"I'd need to find someone else to watch Lilliana, but I support Blake in whatever she wants to do."

"Does she know this is serious for you and not just a fling?"

It actually started out as a fake relationship, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "We haven't talked much about what comes after. She said she'd be by my side throughout the custody stuff."

"If she leaves, will it have an impact on your case?"

The attorney thought it would be better if I had someone steady in my life, and I needed a sitter to work. "It might."

"You should talk to her about what she wants to do. Don't just assume that it's going to work out and she'll stay on the island and choose you."

"I've been avoiding that conversation." I placed my hands on my hips. I looked out over the stakes and string delineating the paths. I wanted to be able to test the maze before we planted the shrubs.

"You're scared."

I sighed. "I'm scared that she's going to tell me that she doesn't like me as much as I like her. Or that this was just a fling, and now we should go our separate ways. I'm scared to do anything to break what we have."

"You can't just ignore it, and hope everything works out."

But avoidance had worked so far. "I don't know what's going to happen with the custody case, and Blake doesn't know what she wants to do yet."

"How do you know if you haven't talked to her about it?"

"I know I need to." I just kept putting it off. One of us would kiss each other, and then we were lost in each other for the night. We hadn't talked about much beyond Lilliana.

A car parked in the back lot, which was off to the side of the senior center. "Elena's here with lunch."

Elena got out of her car, carrying a carry out bag.

Hudson rushed to take it from her.

Elena looked over our work. "This is really coming together."

I shrugged. "It's a bunch of string and stakes."

She looked at the spec drawing in my hands. "Yeah, but I can totally see how it's going to look."

We moved to the porch and sat in the rockers overlooking the back of the property. There were the gazebo and flower beds, the new butterfly garden near the woods where there was a nature trail. Kingston Construction had built all of it, and I was proud of the work.

The maze would be on the right where there was a huge expanse of grass.

"You've done a great job with this place," Elena said, unwrapping her sub.

"I'm really glad I got to work on this project. I missed out on everything else."

Hudson shot me a warning look. "You had a baby. No one was upset with you about that."

"It feels good to be involved now." To contribute and give back.

But that was only possible because Blake was watching Lilliana.

What would happen if she left? I'd have to find another nanny or a sitter.

It wasn't easy to find childcare on the island.

There weren't that many people who weren't involved in the tourist business somehow.

Most locals went to college and stayed in whatever city they landed. There weren't that many job opportunities. Our family was lucky because we were the only construction business on the island.

"It's good to have you back," Hudson said, drinking from his water bottle.

"It's good to be back. I feel like a functioning member of society again. When I was wrapped up in Oakley's drama, everything felt different. I was exhausted all the time. I wouldn't have had energy for a project like this." I flicked a hand in the direction of the staked-off maze.

"That's good that you've contained her involvement in your life then. She wasn't good for you," Elena observed.

"Not the way Blake is. We support each other." I didn't even have to pretend anymore because what I felt for Blake was real. "You should take Blake out. She's been making excuses, saying she has to stay home with me and Lilliana, but I told her she needed a night away."

Elena smiled. "We can do that. I figured she was busy with you and Lilliana."

I met her gaze. "She needs a night out. I want her to make connections here so she'll be more inclined to stay."

"You're worried she'll leave?" Elena rocked her chair.

I nodded, looking out over the property. "Things feel a little too good to be true right now."

"I remember what that felt like when Hudson and I were new. I was too happy. Surely, something had to go wrong."

"And it did," Hudson said with a raised brow. "That article came out and the social-media posts. All of it threatened our relationship."

Elena reached over and took his hand. "But we handled it together."

"I was stupid about it," Hudson grumbled.

I barely remembered that drama because I'd just found out that Oakley was pregnant. Everything seemed uncertain, but now I'd mostly managed life as a single dad. Things were finally working in my favor. "Hopefully, I'm not going to be stupid."

Hudson leveled me with a look. "Trust me, all guys are."

Elena laughed. "Every time one of your brothers screws up their relationship, they come to our house."

Hudson puffed out his chest. "And I straighten them out. I give them the advice that I needed when I wasn't thinking clearly about Elena."

I scowled. "I hope I won't need that advice."

"That's because I'm giving it to you now. Talk to her. Don't assume she knows how you feel or what you want."

"That's good advice," Elena said softly.

That made sense, but I was still scared to be upfront with Blake. I was worried I'd scare her off or she'd say she didn't want to be with me anymore.

We finished eating, and Elena cleaned up. "I'll let you guys get back to it."

We continued staking the maze, and the more we placed, the better I felt about the project. If I could handle something this big, then surely I could handle a healthy relationship. I had my parents and Hudson and Elena as examples. There was no way I could screw it up.

I snapped a picture of the maze and sent it to Blake.

She sent a picture of her playing in the sand with Lilliana. Suddenly, I wanted to be with them. "Let's clean up. I want to go to the beach and hang out with my girls."

Hudson nodded in approval. "We got a lot done today."

"I appreciate you helping out."

We placed the string and stakes in the bed of my truck, and Hudson hesitated as if he wanted to talk about something. "What's up?"

"Have you talked to Shep much lately?"

I sighed. "You know I've been wrapped up in this thing with Oakley for a long time. I'm ashamed to say I'm not as involved with anyone, even Brady."

I used to live with Brady until he moved Hazel in. When Oakley would kick me out, he finally sat me down and told me that I couldn't keep doing that. It wasn't good for his relationship with Hazel or mine with Oakley. I was grateful, but I didn't think I'd properly returned the favor.

"Shep's supposed to be renovating the house, but he's not asking any of us for help. I'm worried we gave him too much shit over the years."

I chuckled. "We always give each other shit."

"I think this project is highlighting how much his ADHD affects him, and he doesn't want us to know about it. Because we've been talking about it for years."

That made me pause. "You think he needs help but won't ask for it?"

His expression was serious. "Yeah, I do."

"I can try and reach out."

"I appreciate that. He might not be suspicious if you pop by."

I had a lot of time to make up for, and I was more than happy to help my family out.

We went our separate ways. I promised I'd talk to Shep, but it didn't have to be today. Not when my girls were waiting for me on the beach. I'd texted before I left that I was on my way. At home, I rinsed off in the shower and grabbed my trunks, not wasting any time jogging down to the beach.

The girls were under an umbrella that was tilted to block the sun. There were a few towels on the sand, but Blake hadn't bothered to carry out the chairs. They were digging in the sand; a haphazard castle was built in front of them.

I stood above them, my hands on my hips. "You need a moat."

"Da-da!" Lilliana said, lifting her arms.

I threw her in the air, easily catching her. "I love your castle. You want Daddy to build you a moat?"

She gave me a toothy grin. "Moa. Moa."

"I can do that." I put her down and flashed Blake a smile.

"The maze looks incredible," Blake said as I started digging the trench for the moat.

"It's a bunch of stakes and string." If I thought about the project too much I got overwhelmed. There were so many pieces to it. "I hope I can live up to those expectations."

She touched my arm. "You did so much research on this. You know what you're doing."

I let out a breath. "It's daunting."

She nodded. "But you can do it."

Her support was exactly what I needed.

She poked Lilliana in the tummy. "Lilliana, tell daddy he can do it."

Lilliana clapped her hands together. "Do-it. Do-it."

She probably had no idea what she was saying, but it was adorable.

I chucked her under the chin. "I'll do it for you, okay?"

She grinned. "K."

I couldn't wait until Lilliana could speak in full sentences.

I wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling.

I looked forward to having conversations with her.

When she was better able to communicate, she'd be more aware of what was going on around her and that her mother wasn't around as much.

Big feelings were coming, and I'd have to be prepared for them.

I glanced at Blake. "You have to be the first one to do the maze."

She placed a hand on her chest. "I get to test it out?"

"Yeah." I'd been planning on hiding four one-word clues throughout the maze, when read together would form the message: Discover a Secret Garden. When completed, the maze will be a beautiful garden.

But what if I planned something different for Blake's test run? A special message just for her? Tingles ran down my spine at the thought of being upfront with her about everything I wanted.

Where would she be when the maze was finally completed? Would she even be living on the island? I supposed if she was still with me and happy, I knew what my secret message would be. I hoped I wasn't setting myself up for disappointment.