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His schedule was always daunting but he thrived on the pressure and handled it with ease. Yet the autopilot he usually ran on felt, this morning, as if it had disengaged.
The news of the baby had punched a hole in the wall he carefully erected between himself and others.
He put a finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose and squeezed hard, then took a long cleansing breath. Pushing all the drama out of his mind, he’d get on with holding down the Devereux fort.
Someone had to.
CHAPTER ONE
‘A NEWYORKCHRISTMAS...’
Naomi smiled as her very chatty fellow passenger told her what a magical time she would soon be having.
‘There’s nothing better.’
‘I’m sure there isn’t,’ Naomi agreed.
It was easier to.
Privately she cared little for the festive season. Well, she made sure it all went smoothly for whatever family she was with but it was just another day for Naomi.
Actually, no. It was a very lonely day for Naomi—it always had been and no doubt always would be.
But she wasn’t going to bore the woman in the next seat with that.
They had got on well.
Naomi was a little on the large side and had tucked her elbows in and tried to make herself very small on take-off. But by the time they came into land, neither had slept and they were chatting away like old friends. Still, there were things even old friends didn’t need to know.
Born on Christmas Eve, from the little Naomi knew her first weeks of life had been spent on a maternity ward before the first of many foster-care placements.
Now a maternity nanny, she looked after newborns and ensured better for her tiny charges. Her job was to look after the mother and infant during this very precious, tumultuous time before the permanent nanny took over.
She wasn’t a part of the family, though.
On a day such as Christmas, her role was to make it as seamless and as stress-free for the new mother as possible. And Naomi usually ate in her room alone.
This year, though, would be different as it was her best friend whose baby she would be taking care of.
Merida, an actress, had come to New York City with Broadway on her mind and, sure enough, had landed a part in a new production calledNight Forest.
She had never made it to opening night, though.
Pregnant by Ethan Devereux, she had said goodbye to her acting career and entered into a marriage of convenience.
Although, inconveniently for Merida, she was head over heels in love with her husband.
Naomi had had reservations about accepting the job.
Ethan and Merida had insisted that she be paid, and though they were probably just trying to be nice, it would have been easier on Naomi to have been asked to stay as a friend.
But she was concerned for Merida and that was why she had agreed to take the post.
As the cabin lights were dimmed for landing, Naomi looked out of the small, moisture-streaked window. There wasn’t much to see, just snow-laden clouds, but then her breath caught as jutting up in the distance she saw the iconic skyline rising out from gunmetal-grey water and it sent a frisson of excitement through Naomi. She was here—actually here. And for someone who had never been out of the United Kingdom it was an exciting moment indeed.
The plane banked for its final approach but that first glimpse of the city left a smile on Naomi’s face.
Naomi had freshened up as best she could after breakfast had been served but she took out her compact and checked her reflection. She was excited to see Merida but her reflection showed tiredness. Her dark chocolate curls were limp and beneath her deep blue eyes were dark smudges. Her very pale complexion had turned to pure white.
