I raked my nails down his back, needing him to thrust harder, to be more. I'd never get enough of this.
Chapter Fifteen
Dalton
Brady was working with me today, and I wanted to talk to him. I enjoyed my time with Lilliana. But I felt like I was in over my head with Blake. That it was just a matter of time before everything imploded in my face.
Ever since Oakley came into my life, it was as if she wanted to chip away at my happiness, and I was worried she'd escalate her attacks on Blake, pushing her out of my life.
I wouldn't stand for that, and I would do anything to head it off.
It was early, and the crew hadn't arrived yet. Brady's heavy footsteps sounded through the wood floors of the house. He popped his head out when he saw me behind the house in the space where the patio would be. "Since when do you need help? I thought Blake was watching Lilliana for you now."
"I wanted to talk to you."
Brady stepped outside, sliding the door closed. "What's up?"
Despite the early hour, it was already hot and humid.
I sighed, worried about revealing the truth but knowing Brady was the only one who could possibly understand what I was going through. "This thing between me and Blake started out as fake."
Brady's eyes widened. "You're fucking with me."
"I hired her to be a nanny, but Oakley didn't like her living with me. My attorney thought it would be better if I were dating Blake. Then she couldn't say anything about it, and it would make me look more stable."
Brady whistled, then shook his head. "I mean, I can't say much because we did the same thing."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you. What happened when you crossed that line with Hazel? Were you worried it would fuck everything up?"
He nodded. "That's why I never pursued anything with Hazel before that. I was worried about our friendship." Then he refocused on me. "But you weren't friends with Blake."
"No, but she's my nanny, and she's irreplaceable." I swallowed hard around that truth. Blake was amazing with Lilliana.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Then why are you messing with that by getting involved?"
I shrugged. "It wasn't necessarily a conscious decision. It just happened."
Brady nodded, leaning on a nearby stack of decking. "The start of every good fling. Are you regretting that decision?"
"Not at all. It's been amazing. Every day I fall more for her." The words fell easily out of my mouth.
He considered me for a few seconds and then said carefully, "You're falling in love with her?"
"I think so." I hadn't planned on falling in love with Blake. I thought I'd have something for myself, but it had been so easy to do. I wanted to say it was because she was living in my space, and we were spending so much time together, but I was starting to think it was her.
His forehead wrinkled. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know. But Oakley is a bigger problem. She went after Blake the other day when she dropped Lilliana off. She said Blake would only ever be the sitter, and that me and Oakley shared a bond because of Lilliana."
"You have your work cut out for you."
"What do you mean?" I asked, desperate to get some advice that could possibly help me in this situation.
"You have to show Blake that what you have transcends the bond between you and Oakley, as the mother of your child. That means placing Blake higher than Oakley. Make her feel important even as the strings of your life are still being pulled by Oakley."
"I'm pulling away from Oakley. I'm sticking to a schedule, pursuing custody and a visitation agreement through mediation, and if that doesn't work, we'll go to court. I don't want to be dancing at the end of her string anymore."
He gave me a pointed look. "I have a feeling Oakley is going to push back harder."
