Nine-Month Protector. Julie Miller

and foolish and wonderful. She was ashamed to think that she’d taken advantage of his long-time friendship. She’d been so frightened, so vulnerable. She’d looked to him for acceptance and strength, and he’d been too kind to turn her away.

      Coop was caring and funny. Strong. And so intuitively perceptive. He’d known what she needed. Her brother said the same thing about his police work. That he just seemed to know when he needed to show up.

      He’d shown up and more. He’d made her feel whole. Clean. He’d made her feel it was safe to trust him.

      No wonder he’d acted so betrayed yesterday. He’d been there for her when she’d needed him most. And she’d repaid him by secluding herself without an explanation and getting pregnant by another man.

      Cooper Bellamy deserved better.

      The thought of carrying Teddy Wolfe’s child while a good man like Coop was cheated of fatherhood made her sick to her fragile stomach.

      So how was she going to make this right? Short of turning back time and being wiser the second time around, how could she fix this?

      “I’m not blaming you, sweetie.” She instinctively folded her arm across her waist and let her hand slide down a fraction to caress her belly. As the shock had worn off and she distanced herself from that awful night, she was beginning to fall in love with the child. Being a single mother wouldn’t be easy, but it was one challenge she refused to fail. Maybe motherhood was one relationship she could get right. After all, she had a stellar role model in Shauna Cartwright-Masterson.

      Oh, damn. Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose and blinked away the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. Her mom was going to make a fabulously cool grandmother. Commissioner of Police. Pretty nifty title for a grandma. Plus, she could cook and bake like nobody’s business when she had the time, so she was a winner whether this baby decided to be an overachiever or a homebody or both. Stupid hormones. Sarah snuck her fingers up to wipe away the tear that had spilled over.

      Maybe she had more to live up to as a single mom than she’d considered. What if she made more stupid choices? What if her baby paid the price for her mistakes?

      “Not gonna happen.” Sarah rubbed a soothing circle over her stomach, reassuring herself as much as the baby. “None of this is your fault. I’ll do better by you. I promise.”

      The first step would be telling someone besides Coop that she was pregnant. The cool October air had helped her delay the announcement by giving her an excuse to wear layers and loose sweaters that masked her changing shape. Her waist was already thickening and her small breasts seemed to be firmer, if not actually bigger. Though there was no bump to show on her belly yet, she hoped there would be fewer questions later if she started wearing baggy clothes now.

      Eventually she’d have to have an explanation for her students. And when the baby arrived in April, she’d have to have arrangements in place with the administration regarding her maternity leave. One of the family dinners she went to with her mom and stepfather, and Seth and his fiancée, Rebecca, would be a perfect opportunity to share the news with the family.