Page 3 of Summer Fling (The Kingston Brothers #5)

Talk turned to Lilliana. He discussed her favorite foods, her bedtime, and the toys she liked. We finished eating and then carried our plates inside.

I wanted to ask about his stance on electronics, but the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Dalton said, leaving the room.

I heard the tread of his footsteps, the door open, and the murmuring of voices. The voices got louder.

"I saw the car outside. Who's here with you?"

Dalton's voice was lower, soothing even.

I rinsed the dishes and put them into the dishwasher, preparing myself for a confrontation.

I heard the hurried footsteps moving toward me, and my heart rate picked up. I put the last dish in the washing machine and straightened. I refused to let this woman get to me.

"I thought I heard someone in here. Who's this?" Oakley waved a hand at me.

Dalton held Lilliana, and he looked unsure what to do.

"I'm Blake, Lilliana's nanny when Dalton has to work. You must be Lilliana's mother." I held my hand out to her.

She refused to shake it. "I am."

I let my hand fall. "Are you dropping Lilliana off for the evening?"

Her face pinched. "I'm going out tonight, and I need someone to watch Lilliana."

"Dalton's happy to have Lilliana." I started walking toward the front door, fully expecting Oakley to follow me. "Thanks for dropping her off."

Oakley spun at the front door, almost as if she realized she'd been manipulated into leaving without her finishing her tirade.

"Lilliana needs a bath and to get to bed," Dalton said stiffly.

I opened the door. "Thank you so much for bringing her. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Oakley stepped through the doorway and hissed to Dalton, "I'll be talking to my lawyer."

But I closed the door before Dalton could respond. I moved toward him, taking Lilliana from his arms. "You want me to start her bath?"

"I don't expect you to work when I'm here."

I rested a hand on his arm. "You need a few seconds to breathe. Come up when you're ready."

He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Then I turned my attention to Lilliana, who was watching me curiously. "I'm Blake. Do you remember me from the other day?"

"Blay," Lilliana said clear as day.

"You're so good with words," I murmured as I carried her upstairs to the hall bathroom. There were toys at the bottom of the tub, so I filled the water and helped her remove her clothes and diaper, then lifted her into the tub where she could play with the toys.

It was late, probably past Lilliana's bedtime. I didn't like that Oakley had dropped her off without any notice. I was a big believer in keeping kids to a predictable schedule. It had helped me in more jobs than I could count.

I'd had to chew on my lip not to say anything about Oakley's unannounced arrival. It wasn't my place to say anything, and she was already incensed that I was staying here.

Lilliana happily played with her toys while I grabbed a washcloth and squirted soap on it. I tried to wash her, but she wrestled the cloth from my hands. I was just washing her hair when Dalton came into the room.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He dropped to his knees. "I am now."

"You want to rinse her hair?" I asked as I rolled back on my heels and stood so he could take my position. It was important for him to be the dad. I was here in a supporting role.

"Thanks for helping."

I stood. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable. We can chat after Lilliana's in bed."

Dalton nodded gratefully as he filled a cup with water and poured it over her head. He kept one hand on her forehead so the suds wouldn't get in her eyes.

My heart contracted at the protective gesture as I left the room. I needed a break from Dalton being a father. He was too sexy for words.

I changed into a T-shirt and sweats, then opened a book, but I was unable to focus on any words.

A while later, there was a knock on my door.

"Come in." I set my book on the nightstand.

Dalton came in, gesturing at the bed. "May I?"

"Sure."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry about that."

I tipped my head to the side. "Oakley coming in unannounced or yelling about me being here?"

He sighed, his hands clasped. "All of it."

"Did she know about me working for you?" I asked.

He glanced over at me, regret in his eyes. "She does now."

"You should talk to her, tell her why I'm here, so she understands why you need a nanny."

"It won't make a difference."

"Why would she talk to her lawyer about me being here?" I asked.

He shook his head. "She'll want to use your being here against me. She's probably jealous that I have a woman living with me."

I frowned. "I've worked many live-in nanny jobs. Nothing inappropriate has ever happened."

"That won't matter to Oakley. She likes to create issues where there are none."

"If it's a problem for you, I can move out." I wasn't sure where I'd live, and my commute would be awful if I was off island again.

"I don't think that will be necessary, or at least I hope not."

My impression was that Dalton felt out of control in this situation. I hoped I could bring a little security back. "Why don't you talk to your attorney tomorrow as well. It wouldn't hurt to be prepared for what she's planning."

"That's a good idea." He stood, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I'm here this week and can watch Lilliana whenever you need me to."

"I'm worried that Oakley will revert to an every other weekend schedule.”

"She seems to like dropping her off whenever it's convenient for her with no regard for your schedule." I personally thought that was by design. A subtle nod to how important her life was compared to everyone else's.

His gaze snagged on mine. "You're so confident about this."

"I've spent a lot of time studying human behavior. It's actually not that complicated once you're attuned to it."

He considered me for a few seconds before looking away. "Thank you for being there for us tonight. You didn't have to step in. You could have gone to your room, and I wouldn't have blamed you. Oakley's mine to deal with."

"Mmm. I didn't like the way she was talking in front of Lilliana. It's not good for her to see you two arguing."

Dalton considered me as if he hadn't thought about that before. "You think this situation isn't good for Lil?"

"She feels the tension in the room even though she's so young. She might not understand it, but she knows."

"I was worried about that."

"It's okay. You've got this. You just need to be the steady presence in her life, the one she can count on to be there for her."

"A steady, calm presence. That's a tall order. But I'll do my best."

"That's all she needs from you. You're worried about her. You want the best for her. You're a great dad."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You've only been here for a few hours. How can you be so sure?"

"I can tell a lot about a person in a short time period."

He moved toward the door. "Lil's in bed, and I'm going to lock up."

"Do you need me to watch Lilliana in the morning?" I asked, unsure of his work schedule.

"I need to go to work early, before Lilliana's awake. Then I'll call Ashton and see if I can get an appointment to see him tomorrow."

"That's good," I said, pleased he was taking my advice. I didn't like how Oakley had threatened him.

"I'll text you when I'm on my way home. You don't need to cook dinner for me. But you'll need to feed Lilliana breakfast and lunch."

"I can do that."

He opened the door.

"What should I do if Oakley shows up here tomorrow? Is she allowed to take Lilliana whenever she wants."

He let out a breath. "I usually give her back when she comes over, but let me talk to Ashton and get an answer on that. I'm not sure about anything anymore."

"You'll figure it out," I said, and he nodded. "Night."

Dalton had a lot going on in his life. It was already difficult being a single parent, but Oakley made everything worse. I didn't want my presence to compound those issues.