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‘Would you be okay, though?’
‘I’m sure I can find something to do,’ Naomi teased—they were in New York after all. ‘Go!’
It was a plan, and all the more reason to get little Ava settled, so for this night at least Naomi assumed more of a nanny role. When Ava woke up half an hour later, again Naomi walked the floor and did the same thing at ten. ‘I’ll take her downstairs,’ Naomi said, because her little cries wafted from Naomi’s floor right up to Merida’s. ‘And I’ll bring her back for another feed at two. She is sleeping more in between, Merida,’ Naomi assured the new mother. ‘And she’s taking much bigger feeds now.’
And so at midnight Naomi sat in the drawing room, holding a still wakeful Ava, although she wasn’t crying now. Just alert and awake and utterly gorgeous.
‘Youaregoing to sleep after the next feed,’ Naomi told her. ‘And you’re going to be good for your mummy on Friday night...’ Her one-sided chatter stilled as the door opened. Ava must have picked up on Naomi’s sudden tension because she started to cry.
And Naomi was tense because almost two weeks after she’d seen him last, Abe was finally here. Until now she had only seen him in a suit or coat, but tonight he wore black jeans and a thin black jumper, his immaculate hair needed a cut and he was unshaven. He looked like he could be on a wanted poster, Naomi thought.
He most certainly was.
Wanted.
Not that she dared to show it.
‘Hey.’ He gave her a grim smile as he came into the drawing room. ‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to be up.’
‘I was just about to take Ava upstairs.’
‘No need, I’m heading up myself.’
‘Then I’ll stay down here,’ Naomi said, and then, worried he’d think she meant she was avoiding him, added, ‘I mean, I’m trying to get her into a routine, she’d only disturb you.’
‘I don’t think anything would disturb me tonight. Do you want one...?’ he offered as he poured himself a drink.
‘No, thank you.’
As he poured, Naomi sneaked a look and what she saw concerned her. He’d lost weight—his trousers hung lower on his hips and he looked utterly exhausted. There were dark smudges under his eyes, and the fan of lines looked deeper than they had just a short while ago.
‘How’s Jobe?’
Abe didn’t answer at first but not because he was ignoring her. It was more that he had to dig deep to find a steady voice.
‘He’s just made the decision to stop all treatments.’ It was the first time he’d said it out loud. So badly had he wanted to dissuade his father, to suggest he try to stay for Christmas, or make it to the New Year. Yet he’d known deep down he was being selfish. He was used to making decisions and it was terribly hard to accept that this one wasn’t his.
‘I’m so sorry.’
Abe took a belt of his drink and let out a long-held breath. ‘He says he wants to enjoy the time he has left, and the meds are making him tired and nauseous. He used to love his food.’
‘He might again,’ Naomi offered.
‘That’s what he’s hoping.’ Abe nodded. ‘Ethan’s staying there tonight. I was going to go home but then I remembered I’m minus a driver.’
‘How come?’
‘He’s moving to Florida.’
‘Oh.’
‘The snow’s really piling up. I don’t want to be too far away just in case.’
‘Abe...’ Naomi knew, even if it was awkward, that she had to broach things. Jobe’s health trumped a moment spent blushing. ‘I would hate to think you might be staying away because of me...’
‘Of course not.’
He had been, though.
