"Well, you do. She's watching Lilliana for you."
"That's the problem. I need to let her go," I said firmly.
Hudson shook his head. "Are you sure about that?"
My phone buzzed. "It's Blake. She needs me to pick her up." I looked around for the monitor, frustrated when I couldn't find it right away. "Give me a sec."
I disappeared into my bedroom to grab the monitor I left on my nightstand last night. I couldn't believe I had been so distracted that I hadn't turned it on or put it in the kitchen where I was. I needed to get my shit together.
In the kitchen, I put the monitor on the island where Hudson could see Lil sleeping in the crib. "She should be out until I get back. Thanks for coming over."
"You're welcome."
I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.
"Dalton?" Hudson followed me.
I turned around. "Yeah?"
"Be sure about what you said before you talk to Blake."
"Of course," I said to placate him because I knew I was Blake's problem in this scenario, and I needed to remove myself from the situation. Satisfied I'd made the right choice, I opened the door and stepped into a wall of heat. The humidity felt heavier than usual.
Soon it would be fall, the tourists would go back home, and so would Blake. I'd figure things out just like I always had.
I'd be strong, being the father Lilliana could count on and a man I could be proud of. If I kept her here, I'd never forgive myself.
I was doing the right thing.
Chapter Twenty
Blake
I was tired from teaching but also exhilarated to share my love of painting with so many people. I couldn't believe how many islanders had attended.
While I was impressed with the number of people who'd signed up for class, I hadn't anticipated that so many from the community would come out to support me. At Hazel's urging, I started a list of emails who were interested in hearing about future classes.
At the end of the event, Hazel and Brady helped me pack up. Then she handed me the clipboard. "This is the start of your email list."
I flipped through several sheets of names and emails. "What do I do with it?"
Hazel ticked off the items on her fingers. "You need to start a newsletter, a website, and social-media pages."
I looked up from the clipboard with dismay. "I talked to Saylor about creating a website, but not the rest of it."
"Your newsletter list will be a place for people to hear about your next class, but you can also send them tips for painting and recommendations for products. You can film videos of you painting and post them on social media," Hazel said.
I felt excited and scared at the same time. "Should I be doing all of that?"
Hazel grinned at Brady. "What do you think?"
Brady shifted his gaze from her to me. "You have something amazing here. You could do a lot with it."
"I have a feeling people will want to buy your work. So you might want to take some pictures of it and get them up on your website." Hazel nodded excitedly.
I held up a hand. "I don't even have a website yet."
As we were talking, Dalton appeared at my side. "I thought you talked to Saylor about getting one started."
