"Then that's what you should do," Hudson said reasonably.
They made it sound so easy. For a long time, I agonized about rocking the boat when it came to Oakley. But I had to make some changes, especially now that Lilliana was getting older.
Dalton: I'll drop her off tomorrow morning like we discussed.
Oakley: Why are you being like this?
Dalton: I want to create a stable life for Lilliana.
Oakley: She's one. She doesn't need stability.
"There's no point in arguing with her," Marshall advised, reading over my shoulder.
"I'd shut this down. You're not available for any discussion," Shep said.
I was as little surprised that Shep was involved at all. Since when did he care about things like this? But I had to agree with him.
Dalton: I'll drop her off on my way to work tomorrow. See you then.
Then I turned off my phone and slid it into my pocket. I didn't need to deal with Oakley anymore, and it felt good. For too long, she held all the power. But from now on, I'd be clearer when I communicated with her about what I wanted.
A voice in the back of my head reminded me that I should be honest with Blake too, but I needed her to think that this was platonic. That I wasn't secretly thinking about what she looked like under her dress.
Shep was the first to break off from our huddle. "Let's play some volleyball, gentlemen."
We returned to our spots, and I caught the questioning look from Blake from where she sat by the fire. I gave her a reassuring smile.
Oakley wasn't her problem. Or at least, she wasn't supposed to be. I'd been worried that Oakley might show up at the house when Blake was alone. But so far, she hadn't done that.
Oakley was my problem, and I'd done a shit job of handling her up until now. That was all going to change. The situation wasn't sustainable for any of us. It certainly wasn't healthy. I felt good knowing that I was protecting Lilliana and, in a way, Blake.
I liked being the person who stood up for what was right. So much of my life had changed in the last few weeks, but I felt like I was on the right track.
After the game, I grabbed a drink, and Blake stood with Lilliana, who'd tucked her head on her shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Her eyes were drifting shut.
"She's ready for bed," I said to Blake.
Blake nodded. "She's tuckered out."
"I'll grab her things." We'd left toys all over the house, so I gathered everything up and put it in the backpack I used when I took Lilliana anywhere. Then I took her from Blake so that I could change her. She'd probably fall asleep in the truck on the way home, and with any luck I could transfer her to her crib without waking her.
We said our goodbyes and then headed out to the truck where I buckled Lilliana in. On the drive home, the cab was dark.
I looked over at Blake. "It wasn't so bad, was it?"
"I was worried about how they'd take me dating you. I remember them being so worried about you and what was going on with Oakley."
"They've always been worried about me since I'm one of the youngest kids. Then when I got Oakley pregnant, it got worse. The drama back then was over the top. I thought I could get a hold of the situation, but it became clear early on that wouldn't happen. Oakley held all the control. It took a while for me to assert any."
"You did the best you could. That's a big transition, from single to a father, and Oakley didn't make it easy on you."
"She had her own agenda. She wanted me to live with her and go along with whatever she wanted. But my family convinced me that I needed to get my own place, so that I could provide a stable home for Lilliana."
"That was smart."
"It also sent a message to Oakley that I was less available for her drama about me moving in with her. But I hated the idea of not being in Lilliana's home."
"I'm sure it sucks not being there for her all the time. But now that you've set some boundaries, Oakley might realize that she can't go back to her old ways."
