Then he tickled Lilliana's bare foot. "Hey, baby girl. You have fun at yoga?"
"Up up," she said, and he set the knife down so he could properly greet his daughter.
I had a feeling he felt badly for his daughter because eventually she was going to realize that her mother didn't want her around. It was an awful way to make a child feel.
I just hoped that we could make up for that feeling of loss. But I wasn't even sure I'd be around then.
Dalton would have to cover Oakley's shortcomings, and I wasn't sure that Lilliana would ever get over an absentee mother. But there was still time for Oakley to grow up and be a better parent.
"How was class?"
"It was nice." It was the first one of a new session, and she'd asked us to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Thankfully, I wasn't the only nanny, but it was a little weird. The moms kept to themselves.
It was the first time I wished I were Lilliana's mom. Oakley's words hit harder than I expected. I'd become attached to her over the last couple of weeks.
But the reality was, Lilliana wasn't mine. This thing with Dalton was new, and I needed to remember that I was just the nanny. Dalton would always share Lilliana with Oakley, even if she took her for granted.
I'd never have that bond with him.
I hated to think that way, but it was something to keep in mind. It was easy to become attached to people, but I needed to protect myself in this situation.
I thought he'd set boundaries when Lilliana was here. But he hadn't. He'd fallen right back into that place where we'd been last night.
It could have been an effort to maintain our fake persona, but I wasn't so sure about that.
Dalton washed his hands. "You want to change or wash up while I take Lilliana?”
"Okay," I said, knowing he felt badly for her when her mother left her here. As much as he wanted to have her all the time, he didn't want her to feel abandoned or neglected by her mother.
Unfortunately, it was something he had no control over. I jumped in the shower in the hall bathroom, rinsing off before dressing in lounge pants and a T-shirt then returned to the kitchen. Lilliana was happily playing in the sink, the water running over plastic dishes while Dalton cooked.
It was a nice scene, one I wouldn't mind coming home to every day. If this thing between us lasted, would I work outside the home, or would he always need me as the nanny? Those were things I hadn't thought of before.
Dalton looked up at me. "Everything okay?"
I slid onto the stool at the island. "It's actually perfect."
He grinned. "I thought so too. I love having Lilliana home with us."
"Me too." He left the rest of it unsaid. One day, Lilliana would know that her mother's social life came before hers. There was still time for Oakley to change, but right now, it wasn't looking good.
Dalton winked at me. "She wanted to help, so I thought I'd put her to work."
"I can see that. Lilliana, you're doing a great job with those dishes."
She splashed the water and said, "Bub. Bub."
"She loves soap and bubbles," Dalton said.
"We spend a lot of time in her water table outside."
He pulled the casserole dish out of the oven. "Looks ready."
"I'm starved."
He scooped taco casserole into two bowls, and we sat at the table. He'd reserved plain noodles and beans for Lilliana to eat.
When she was done eating, Dalton cleaned her up and then took her for a bath. I cleaned up the kitchen. We'd fallen into an easy rhythm. He usually spent time with Lilliana in the evenings since he missed breakfast with her.
