"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.
Chapter Three
Dalton
I felt better knowing that Blake was at my house taking care of my daughter. She'd be good for Lilliana. I suspected she'd be a steady presence while Oakley was an unpredictable hurricane.
She'd grounded me last night, giving me time to decompress after Oakley left. I felt steadier and stronger than I had in a long time.
If Blake hadn't stepped in, Oakley would have raged at me much longer, and it would have been harder for me to get her out of my house.
But Blake had taken charge in that quiet way she did where you didn't even know you were being handled.
