Protecting Their Child by Angi Morgan

pushed at his chest, trying to move past him in the little bathroom.
    His hands fell to her middle, holding her in place. “It’s not that. I was thinking about something else. Kate, I— Holy cow, what was that?” His hand was on the side of her belly. “I thought we just ate. That was a heck of a stomach gurgle.”
    “Cord, I think that...that’s the baby.” She put her hand over his, shifting his touch more to the center. “There. Feel that.”
    Their eyes met and all he could manage was a nod. He’d just thought the baby was real before. The depth of emotion welling inside him was about to erupt like the volcano that formed the mountains around them. He couldn’t label them or put words to them, but he knew they were there.
    “Is that the first time she’s moved?” he asked.
    She. Daughter.
    That eruption knocked the barricade he’d stashed his numb heart behind. He’d thought he’d hidden it deep under a cover of recovery. The tears welled in Kate’s eyes, her lower lip rolled between her teeth and she swayed backward.
    They’d shared something special, something only they could understand. And he’d screwed it up. Twisted it with a memory of pain.
    Say it. Tell her you’re sorry for being an insensitive jerk.
    He could fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness. Or he could ignore another moment she seemed to be waiting for words he didn’t have. How long had the minute lasted? Sixty seconds that time? Or three years of hurt?
    The amazing woman sighed—a new one he didn’t know. Then she squeezed his hands. Move on? It’s okay? God, he wished he was better at this.
    “It really is amazing. I’m glad you were here. Why do you think the baby’s a...a girl?” She stumbled over girl but recovered. “My bet’s on a boy. The McCreas always have a son to pass the Ranger badge to. Don’t they?”
    Was it wrong not to want a boy? There couldn’t be a replacement, but he wanted that little baby girl. He wanted to rock her in the antique crib Kate had found. She’d talked the dealer in Fredericksburg to lower his price and had scraped every spare dollar they had together for the purchase. The yellow-and-brown baby comforter was still hanging on the side.
    He clasped Kate’s free hand, bringing it to his lips. “That was quite a wallop of a kick.”
    “Or just a flip. I think she’s done now.” She moved away from him. “We need some rest.”
    “Right. As soon as the storm passes, we gotta move.” He stepped back, wanting to pull the woman carrying his child into his arms. He didn’t know what to think or assume. Didn’t know why feeling his child move made him want to make wild love to her. “You go lie down.”
    Kate walked away, not looking pregnant at all from behind. But he liked the pregnancy. It looked as good on her as the nail polish. Okay, not a perfect comparison for such a beautiful woman. He knew what the crazy thoughts firing through his mind meant. The same reason he couldn’t discuss Kate with his shrink. The same reason he hadn’t accepted Kate’s phone calls or texts or letters or heard her name without aching for the part of him that she’d completed.
    She’s not your wife anymore. She’d divorced him the morning after they’d made their baby. He knew that. He deserved that.
    He caught himself from falling with a hand on the counter. His legs were tired, but it was the scar that ached like a deep, wrenching wound. No physical reason that it should. The doctor said there wasn’t a reason for it. But there were three strong reasons: Shane, Sarah and a baby girl who never drew her first breath.
    He’d almost forgotten to cover the scar when he’d left the shower. Hopefully, Kate hadn’t noticed since he hadn’t faced her straight on. He pressed his palm into the scar, trying to ease the hurt.
    “Thanks for the hospitality, Juliet. I can do the laundry. Just point me in the right direction,” Kate said from the other room.
    He stood straight, surprised at