He’d then contrasted Lucas’s lack of parenting experience, his plans to hire a nanny instead of being hands-on himself and the fact that he’d spent almost no time with Amelia since her birth. He acknowledged the security concerns around a child from such a wealthy family, but pointed out there were many options to ensure her safety.

Devin had to admit, she’d never thought about the potential of someone kidnapping Amelia for ransom. Did that even still happen in America? It had been a long time since the Lindbergh case.

She’d thought he’d done a stellar job, thought they were sure to win. But then at the last minute Lucas’s lawyer stood up to address the judge.

He acknowledged Devin’s bond with Amelia, talked about the portability of Devin’s career as a self-help book writer, then suggested what he called a compromise-that both Amelia and Devin take up temporary residence at the Demarco mansion. Amelia could be with Devin, but she’d also have the advantage of the Demarco security.

Devin’s gaze flew to Lucas’s face. His smug expression told her he’d planned this all along.

He’d known he couldn’t beat her in a straight-up fight, and he’d come up with an underhanded way to snatch her victory. By the time permanent guardianship was considered, Lucas would have built a bond with Amelia. And Devin’s best advantage would be gone.

She opened her mouth to protest, but she knew there was no way out. Any argument she put forward would make her sound unreasonable. This same judge would eventually decide permanent guardianship, and Devin couldn’t afford to yield the moral high ground to Lucas. On the face of it, he was offering a reasonable solution.

In reality, he had outmaneuvered her. Amelia would be under his roof, and under his care, and Devin knew he would pull out all the stops to make the Demarco mansion a perfect home for the baby.