Defying Gravity (Healing Hearts Book 2)

by Laura Farr

  “Oh, okay. He’s going to be fine though, I promise.” I was a little upset that he didn’t want me to go with him.

  “You’re his little sister, and I’m his best friend—I think he’s going to have something to say about it.” He scoffed, his eyes leaving Brody and finding mine. He looked anxious and I tried not to laugh. “Glad you’re finding this amusing!” he exclaimed.

  “I’m sorry babe, but this is Brody. He’s hardly going to punch you when he finds out, and I’ve talked to him about it. He knows how I feel about you, and he’s going to be happy,” I promised.

  “I know you’ve talked to him, but knowing you liked me and us actually being together are two different things.”

  “You’re worrying over nothing,” I whispered, leaning over and kissing him. He reached his hands up and into my hair, pulling me closer toward him. Deepening the kiss, he gently bit down on my lip and I opened my mouth to him, my tongue caressing his. A deafening thud startled us apart and looking up, I saw Brody standing in front of the car, his hands on the hood.

  “Worrying over nothing huh?” Josh said, his eyes never leaving Brody’s annoyed face.

  I jumped out of the car, marching straight to Brody. “What are you doing?” I cried, pulling him off the hood of the car. He turned to face me, his back to the car. He winked at me with a smirk on his face before quickly turning back to face Josh, who had now climbed out of the car and was making his way toward me. Josh reached for my wrist and gently tugged me behind him. Confused, I let him.

  “Brody—”

  “Why do you have your tongue down my baby sister’s throat?” Brody snapped, stepping closer to Josh. Josh took a step back and I moved with him. “Do you not remember my warning for you to stay away from her?”

  “Brody, that was years ago. Look man, we’re together. I’m sorry you had to find out like that, I was just on my way to talk to you.”

  “She isn’t one of your normal lays Josh, this is my sister!” Brody shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “My pregnant sister.”

  “Brody!” I exclaimed, trying to get around Josh to him. Josh put his arm out to the side and gently pushed me back behind him. I could see that Brody had seen what Josh had done, and a small smile tugged on his lips.

  “I’m fully aware that she’s pregnant Brody!” Josh exclaimed, seemingly not aware of Brody’s half-smile. I felt Josh reach for me, his arm going around my shoulder as I was pulled into his side. “I love her, okay! We’re friends Brody, best friends, but if you make me choose, I’ll choose Sav, every time.”

  “And you love him?” Brody asked, looking at me and gesturing to Josh.

  I nodded before looking up at Josh. “Yes, more than anything,” I said quietly, my eyes gazing into Josh’s. He smiled and I smiled back.

  “Well it’s about time!” Brody exclaimed, stepping toward Josh and slapping him on the back.

  “What?” Josh asked, looking from me to Brody.

  “I was just messing with you!” Brody exclaimed, laughing.

  “That was cruel!” I told him, stepping away from Josh and smacking Brody on the arm.

  “I couldn’t be happier that you and Sav are together, although I have to admit, I never saw it coming. I found out recently that she liked you, but I had no idea you felt the same,” he said, winking at me again.

  “You bastard!” Josh exclaimed. “I really thought I was going to end up punching you.” He laughed and shoved Brody, who stumbled backward, laughing. Brody shoved him back and I rolled my eyes at both of them.

  “Obviously if you ever hurt her, we’re going to have a problem,” Brody said, the laughing suddenly stopping.

  “We’re not going to have a problem, Brode. I’m not going to hurt her,” he assured him, smiling over at me.

  “Good, because between me and Dad, we could do some serious damage!”

  “Okay, okay,” I said, raising my hands. “I think we’ve had enough macho behavior today.”

  “I better get back to work. I’ll catch up with you both later though, okay? I guess you’ll be around here more now then Josh.” Brody smirked.

  “Try all the time,” Josh replied, grinning at me.

  Brody smiled and shook his head. “Another one down.” He laughed. “First Mason, and now you!”

  “You next then Brode.” I wriggled my eyebrows.

  Laughing again, he shook his head. “No thanks! Why tie myself down to one when I can have many?”

  “You man-whore,” I fired back at him. “When the right girl comes along, you’re not going to know what’s hit you.”

  “Not me Sav. I’m pretty happy playing the field. I won’t be settling down any time soon,” he assured me.

  “We’ll see,” I replied with a laugh.

  “I’ll catch you both later,” he said, shaking his head. “Seriously though, congratulations. I couldn’t be happier for you two.” He walked off toward the barn, leaving us standing in front of the car.

  “I really thought we were going to come to blows,” Josh said, dropping down and sitting on the hood of the car. I stood in front of him and he pulled me between his legs, his arms going around my waist while his forehead rested on my small bump.

  “So did I for a minute,” I said quietly. “Did you really mean what you said about choosing me over Brody?”

  He lifted his head and kissed my stomach before raising his eyes to mine. “Every time baby, every time.” He stood up and wrapped me in his arms. “Now where were we before we were rudely interrupted?” he whispered.

  “Right about here, I think…” I muttered against his mouth, my lips brushing against his. He tightened his hold on me and let out a moan as I snaked my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. I threaded my fingers around his neck, pulling gently on the hair at the base. I could kiss that man all day, and it would never get old.

  “Put her down!” Brody shouted from behind us.

  Breaking the kiss, Josh groaned and rested his forehead on mine. “I may have to kill your brother—you’d be okay with that, right?” he said, and I laughed.

  “If he keeps interrupting us, I’m going to kill him myself!” I exclaimed, turning and giving Brody the finger. I heard him laugh behind me and I rolled my eyes. “We should get inside anyway, you don’t want my dad seeing us making out on the hood of your car.” I watched as Josh’s eyes went wide.

  “I have to have the same conversation with him as I did with Brody don’t I?” He groaned.

  “Yep! I think you are.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the cottage. “You’ll be fine, my dad loves you,” I assured him.

  “Let’s hope so,” he mumbled, following me.

  We went to my parents’ house that evening because Josh was anxious to talk to them about us before they found out from someone else. I reminded him that my mom already knew and had likely told my dad, but he was still insistent about speaking to them both. I knew how much they meant to Josh; they had practically been second parents to him with the amount of time he’d spent at the ranch as a kid, and having their blessing was important to him.

  I was surprised to find out that my mom hadn’t told my dad, and to say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was pleased though, as I’d known he would be. My parents both loved Josh, and I smiled as I saw him let out a sigh of relief as my dad shook his hand and clapped him on the back. My mom pulled me to the side and asked where we’d been; apparently, she had been to the cottage early that morning and had gotten no answer when she’d knocked on the door. I filled her in on our date in Austin, from the suite at the Four Seasons to the boat ride on the lake. She ooed and aahed, telling me how romantic it all sounded, and pulling me into her arms, she told me how happy she was for me.

  We spent the rest of the evening with my parents before heading back to the cottage. I was exhausted after the amazing day and night in Austin, and after a quick shower, I fell asleep wrapped in Josh’s arms.

  The rest of the week passed by in a blur of happin
ess. We got up each morning and ate breakfast together before I headed to Austin for school and Josh went to work. More often than not, Josh was home before me, and dinner or a bath was awaiting me when I arrived. I’d had no clue he could cook, but it was a good thing he could since I was useless around the kitchen.

  On Friday night, Josh planned to go out for a drink with Mason and Brody. Libby was coming to the cottage and we were going to order pizza and watch DVDs. Since returning from Austin on Monday, other than the odd text message, I hadn’t had time to really talk to her, and I was looking forward to catching up.

  I was lazing on the sofa while Josh was getting ready upstairs. I was just over nineteen weeks pregnant and my bump was growing daily. The sickness had thankfully passed and I was feeling great, although I was guessing being head over heels in love made you feel good too. The more time Josh and I spent together, the more I fell in love with him, if that was even possible.

  A knock on the door tore me from my thoughts and I got up, swinging the door open. “Hey guys,” I said, seeing Mason, Libby, and Brody standing in the small front garden. “Come in.” I moved slightly to the side to let them pass.

  “You won’t be able to do that for much longer Sav!” Brody exclaimed as he passed me.

  “Do what?” I asked him, confused.

  “Hold the door open while we walk in.” He gestured to my stomach. “There won’t be enough room soon,” he said, laughing.

  “Hilarious Brody,” I said sarcastically, swatting him on the shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” Josh asked as he came down the stairs and crossed the room, his arm going around my shoulder.

  “Oh nothing, just Brody thinking he’s being funny,” I told him, rolling my eyes.

  “Are you picking on my girl Brode?” Josh asked, kissing me on the side of the head.

  “Always,” Brody replied, still laughing to himself.

  “Go on, take my idiot brother out with you and leave me and Lib to our pizza.” Josh chuckled and snaked his arms around my waist. He brushed his lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me and losing myself in his kiss. As I deepened the kiss, I heard Brody groan.

  “Urghh, I do not want to watch my best friend and my sister making out. Put her down and let’s go!” I smiled against Josh’s lips and pulled away slightly, seeing Brody heading for the door, shaking his head.

  “You’d better go. Have a good night,” I told him.

  “You too baby.” He kissed my lips once more before heading outside to find Brody. Looking to my left, I saw Mason kissing Libby goodbye.

  Once the boys were gone, Libby squealed and threw herself at me. “You two are so cute!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I want to hear every detail. How did it all happen? What made him change his mind? Is he going to move in here with you?” She looked at me expectantly, waiting for the answers to her questions.

  I laughed and walked into the kitchen. “Let’s at least order the pizza, and then I’ll tell you everything,” I promised, looking in the kitchen drawer for the takeout menu.

  “You better tell me everything Savannah Parker,” she said, raising her eyebrows at me.

  “I seem to remember someone holding back on me when you first got with your boyfriend,” I teased, tossing the menu at her. “I’m not sure if I’m the kind of girl to kiss and tell.” I smirked at her and she laughed.

  “Sav, we both know you are definitely the kind of girl to kiss and tell!”

  I tried to look shocked but just ended up laughing; I knew she was right. “You’re right, I am!” I squealed, dragging her back into the sitting room and flopping on the sofa. “God, what that man can do with his tongue!” I gushed, my head dropping back as I sighed. “He’s amazing though Lib.” I sat up, turning to face her. “He wants us to live together and be a family—do you think it’s too soon?” I asked, frowning.

  “No Savannah, I don’t think it’s too soon. You’ve known Josh your whole life, and you’ve been waiting for this forever. I know it wasn’t quite how you’d imagined.” She paused and glanced down at my stomach. “But you love him and I know he loves you.”

  “How do you know he loves me?” I asked.

  “It’s written all over his face.”

  “He did tell me he loves me,” I told her quietly as I played with the throw on the sofa, picking at the loose threads.

  “Savannah, what’s wrong?” she asked, concern lacing her voice. “You’ve waited for years to hear those words from him, I thought you’d be happy.”

  “I am!” I rushed out, my head flying up to look at her.

  “You don’t seem it.”

  I sighed loudly. “There’s something you don’t know Lib, but I need you to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone, even Mason.” I knew it was unfair to ask her to keep things from Mason, but even telling Libby was breaking Josh’s confidence. I hated to do that, but I really needed someone to talk to.

  “Okay,” she whispered as she nodded.

  “Josh had leukemia when he was two.”

  She gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. “No!”

  I nodded. “The treatment they gave him cured him of the leukemia, but it left him unable to have children.”

  “Oh God Sav, that’s awful…but I don’t understand why that would make you question his feelings for you.”

  “What if he’s only with me because I’m having a baby? What if he sees me as his chance to be a dad?”

  “Are you kidding me?” She scoffed. “That’s really what you think?”

  “I don’t know! I don’t want to think that!” I snapped. “But he was never interested before I got pregnant.”

  “God Savannah, wake up!” she said, her tone angry. I looked up at her with wide surprised eyes—Libby hardly ever got pissed. “He’s always been interested, you’ve just refused to believe it. Do you not think the reason he never went after you is because he couldn’t give you a baby?”

  “But I wanted him, not a baby,” I argued.

  “What about in 10 years? He kept you at a distance because he loved you, because he wanted the best for you.” Her voice had softened and she gave me a small smile.

  “And now?” I whispered.

  “Now that you’re having a baby, maybe he’s decided he wants a shot at happiness, and he wants that with you.”

  I nodded and smiled at her. “You’re right, thank you.” I pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

  “You should talk to him Sav—he’d hate to think you were feeling this way.” I nodded but didn’t say anything, knowing she was right. I did need to talk to him, but how would I even start to explain my feelings? What if it was just me being sensitive and I ended up hurting him? I closed my eyes and groaned inwardly.

  “Right! Enough about me! We need to talk weddings,” I said, bouncing up and down on the sofa, desperate to change the subject.

  “Pizza first. I’m starving,” Libby said, grabbing the menu.

  After ordering and eating far too much pizza, we spent the rest of the night planning the wedding. We decided to go to Austin the next weekend for wedding dress shopping. Lib still wasn’t convinced she needed a wedding dress, but after looking online for ideas, I could see she was getting excited about the thought of trying some on. What Libby didn’t realize was that her mom and dad had already transferred some money to my parents to pay for her dress. I couldn’t wait to tell her, but I wanted her to find her perfect dress first.

  Around an hour later, Josh and Mason arrived back at the cottage. Brody had gone straight home, and after a quick round of goodbyes, Libby and Mason left, leaving Josh and me alone.

  “I missed you,” he said as he pulled me close to him, the stubble on his face tickling my skin. I dropped my head back and whimpered as he peppered tiny kisses up my neck, occasionally nipping my skin with his teeth. His mouth came up and over my jaw, his lips crashing into mine. He kissed me like he hadn’t seen me for months instead of the few hour
s it had actually been. I wasn’t complaining though—he could kiss me for an eternity, and even then, it wouldn’t be long enough. I moaned again against his lips and when my mouth opened slightly, his tongue pushed inside and stroked against mine. I heard him growl as my arms wound around his neck, and he picked me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. I whimpered as I felt his erection press against me, the thin material of my yoga pants allowing me to feel every inch of him.

  He broke the kiss, his hooded eyes finding mine. “God, I love you Savannah,” he said, breathless from the kiss.

  “I love you too,” I whispered, my head dropping to his shoulder. He silently carried me upstairs, gently kicking the bedroom door shut and placing me on the bed. He reached for the waistband of my pants, and I lifted my hips as he pulled them down my legs, removing my panties at the same time. His body came over mine and he took hold of the bottom of my t-shirt, pulling it up slightly, his fingers stroking around my stomach. He lowered his head, his lips brushing soft kisses where his fingers had been. Pushing my top up farther, he exposed my lace bra, his kisses traveling up my body. Pulling down on the lace of my bra, he exposed one of my breasts and I gasped as his tongue danced around my nipple, sucking it into his mouth. I cried out and arched my back then lifted my hips off the bed in an attempt to ease the growing ache between my legs, and I heard Josh chuckle against my breast.

  “Feel good baby?” he asked before rolling his tongue around my nipple.

  “God yes,” I moaned. My hands found his t-shirt and I tugged at it, wanting to feel his skin on mine. Understanding what I wanted, he released my nipple with a pop and pulled his t-shirt over his head. I licked my lips as I saw his naked chest, his smattering of dark hair disappearing into his jeans.

  His eyes dropped to my lips and he growled. “I can’t get enough of you,” he said, quickly removing my top and bra, leaving me naked.

  “We’ve got a lot of missed time to make up for,” I said quietly, smiling at him.

  “We do sweetheart, we definitely do,” he whispered, standing up and quickly removing his jeans and underwear. My eyes were glued to him as he climbed on the bed. Lying on his side next to me, his fingers traced circles around my breasts. My body was burning where he was touching me, and I writhed on the bed, needing more from him. Pushing him gently onto his back, I straddled his waist, grinding my hips against his erection. I was already wet and I moved easily against him, his hardness hitting me right where I needed him. He moaned and reached his hands up, his fingers playing with my nipples. Lifting myself off him slightly, I took him in my hand, stroking him from base to tip before guiding him to my entrance and sinking down on him. He gasped as I began moving my hips, his hands leaving my breasts and coming to rest on my waist. I leaned down and kissed his toned chest, licking up and around his nipple. Kissing up his neck, I found his lips, his mouth urgently finding mine, his tongue pushing into my mouth. Flipping me onto my back, he raised one of my legs over his shoulder, and I cried out as I felt him deep inside me, the ache in the pit of my stomach increasing.