Defying Gravity (Healing Hearts Book 2)

by Laura Farr

  “I’ll stay with her, you go off and dance,” Aaron said, waving his hand toward the dance floor.

  “Nobody needs to stay with me! I’ll be fine!” I exclaimed.

  “I’m staying,” Aaron insisted. “I’m not in the mood for dancing anyway.”

  “Fine. Lib, go have fun. I’ll come find you in a bit,” I promised. She nodded, letting Ava lead her onto the packed dance floor.

  After they were gone, I turned to Aaron. “You really don’t need to stay with me you know.”

  “I know, but I could do with the company anyway…” He trailed off.

  “Are you okay?” Aaron was usually the heart and soul of any party, and although I didn’t know him that well, I could tell something was wrong.

  “Just man trouble.” He sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” I knew Aaron was gay, and from what Harper had said, he was in a long-term relationship, but obviously, things weren’t going too great.

  “Okay, well if you change your mind, I’m happy to listen,” I told him, not wanting to push him into telling me anything, even if the nosey side of me really wanted to know.

  “Thanks Sav. What about you anyway? I hear you and the very sexy Josh Miller are now an item—and baby makes three,” he said with a smile, his eyes dropping to my bump.

  “Yes.” My hand rubbed over my stomach. “I finally landed the man of my dreams. I’ve only been waiting since I was about 14!”

  “Bet he’s worth the wait though darlin’,” he said as he wriggled his eyebrows at me.

  I laughed. “Yeah, you could say that,” I replied, my mind drifting back to his head between my legs just a few hours before.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking about Savannah, but you’re looking a little flushed,” he teased. I laughed as I felt my cheeks flush even more, and I quickly picked up my drink, taking a gulp.

  We chatted easily for the next half an hour or so then suddenly, the baby began to move. “Quick, give me your hand Aaron,” I said excitedly as I reached for his hand and placed it on my stomach where I’d last felt the baby kick. I placed my hand over his and waited. A few seconds later, I felt a kick, and I looked up at Aaron.

  “Wow Savannah, that’s incredible!” he said, his face beaming, his eyes focused on his hand, waiting for another movement.

  “Well this looks cozy!” I heard a voice boom from the other side of the booth, and my head flew up as I recognized the voice.

  “Josh, what are you doing here?” I asked, my tone full of surprise.

  “Well, I came to spend the night with my girl, but it looks like someone else is already doing that,” he spat, moving closer to where Aaron sat. Aaron’s hand moved quickly from my stomach and he stood up, extending his hand out for Josh to shake.

  “Hi Josh, I’m Aaron, Harper’s brother.”

  I saw Josh glance down at Aaron’s hand before looking back up to his face. “I don’t give a fuck who you are. Why are you touching my girl?” he shouted, his face clouded with anger.

  “Josh!” I exclaimed, getting to my feet and going to stand in front of him. “What are you doing?”

  “What am I doing? What are you doing?” he yelled, his voice getting louder every time he spoke.

  I’d never heard him speak to me like that and I took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. “He was just feeling the baby kick,” I said, noticing for the first time that Mason, Brody, and Jack were standing behind him.

  “He had his hands all over you Savannah!”

  I marched up to him and prodded my finger into his shoulder. “He had his hand on my stomach because he was feeling the baby kick. He wasn’t feeling me up under the table! God, you can be a real jerk sometimes,” I cried.

  “Look, this is getting out of hand. Let me start again.” Aaron reached his hand out again for Josh to shake. “I’m Aaron, Harper’s brother—Harper’s gay brother.” I watched as relief and embarrassment flooded Josh’s face upon hearing Aaron’s words, and if I hadn’t been boiling mad at him, it would have been pretty funny.

  Josh shook his head before reaching for Aaron’s hand and shaking it. “I’m sorry man, I thought…” He trailed off, embarrassed.

  “It’s fine, I know what you thought. The girls wanted to dance, Savannah didn’t, so I offered to stay with her. I’m going to find the girls, I’ll leave you to it.” He threw me a wave as he disappeared onto the dance floor.

  I sat back down in the booth and Josh slid in beside me. Taking my hand, he turned me so I was looking at him. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

  I sighed. “Do you know how much I love you?” I asked him quietly.

  “Enough to forgive me for being an overprotective, jealous ass?” he asked with a wince.

  “I’m hurt Josh, hurt that you would think I would be interested in another man. Even when we weren’t together, I wasn’t interested in anyone else.”

  He hung his head and took a deep shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I saw you pressed up against him, his hands on you, and I saw red. I can’t bear the thought of going back to living a life you’re not a part of. I’ve waited so long to be with you. You’re mine, both of you, and if I lost you…” His voice cracked and my heart stuttered at his words.

  “Hey, you aren’t going to lose us,” I told him, my fingers lifting his chin. “I love you Josh Miller. I will always love you, even when you’re being an overbearing jerk!” I smiled at him, wanting to see him smile back at me. He pulled me into his arms and I went willingly.

  “I love you,” he whispered in my ear, and as I pulled out of his embrace, he grinned at me.

  “Right, now that that’s taken care of, who wants a drink?” Brody asked from across the table.

  I rolled my eyes at him and stuck out my tongue. “What are you even doing here anyway?” I asked, snuggling into Josh’s side, noticing that Mason had disappeared and Jack was sitting across from us in the booth.

  “Ask the groom!” Brody exclaimed, gesturing with his arm in the direction Mason must have gone. I looked across at Jack and then up at Josh expectantly.

  “Mason wanted to come back to Marble Falls and spend the rest of the night with Lib,” Josh explained, bending down to kiss me on the top of my head.

  “I tried to talk him out of it, but I had no backup from Romeo here,” Brody said, gesturing to Josh. “He wanted to get back here as much as Mason did, and Jack didn’t care either way!”

  “You’ll be the same one day Brode,” Josh told him with a laugh.

  “I won’t!” he exclaimed. “You’re both pussy-whipped!” he grumbled. “I need a beer, come help me Jack,” he said, and I laughed as I watched them disappear into the crowds in search of a drink.

  “Where are Dad and Uncle Phil? Are they here too?”

  “No, I dropped them off back at the ranch on the way through.” He paused and looked down at me. “So, we’re good?” he asked nervously.

  “Yeah babe, we’re good.” He bent his head and kissed me, the whole bar disappearing as I became consumed by him. The noise evaporated and all I could hear was my own heart pounding in my chest. I loved this man and the way he made me feel, and I could only hope he would always make me feel like I was the only girl in the room.

  Libby and Mason’s wedding day had finally arrived, and although we’d only had a few weeks to arrange everything, it felt like we had been waiting forever for them to be together. After Jack had flown in, he’d been fitted for a suit; Mason had wanted to include him in the ceremony and had asked him to be a groomsman with Josh.

  Libby and Mason had decided against a rehearsal dinner, instead opting for takeout with the whole family at the house. They spent most of the night curled up on the loveseat in the den, kissing and giggling like teenagers. I was a blubbering wreck at that stage of my pregnancy anyway, managing to cry at almost anything, so watching them both so happy and in love caused me to cry more than once. Josh was now so used to me spontaneously bursting into tears, he would j
ust pull me into his arms and hold me until I pulled myself together. I had decided early on when choosing my bridesmaid dress that I would need somewhere to stash some tissues, as I was definitely going to be crying while I watched them get married.

  Libby and I had slept at the ranch house, with Brody, Josh, and Jack all squeezing into Libby and Mason’s cabin. They were under strict instructions not to drink too much alcohol or shave any of Mason’s eyebrows off. Anything was possible if Brody was left in charge, and Lib had told him to behave, not wanting to have her wedding pictures ruined because Mason only had half his normal facial hair.

  We’d had breakfast, although Libby was too nervous to eat much, and it was finally time to start getting ready. Lib had asked me if I would do her hair and makeup, and I was currently curling her hair as she sat at the vanity in the spare bedroom.

  “Have you seen where the ceremony is taking place?” I asked her, winding a piece of her hair around the curling wand.

  She shook her head gently. “No, Mason wants it to be a surprise. All he asked me was what flowers I’m having in my bouquet. Do you know what he has planned?”

  I met her eyes in the mirror and grinned. “Well I might, but there’s no way I’m telling you Libby Davis. I’m not going to ruin the surprise.”

  “Well I guess I don’t have long until I find out!” she said excitedly. “What time is it?” I put down the curling iron and reached for my phone, pressing the home button to light up the screen.

  “It’s 11:30,” I told her as my phone chimed with a message. I glanced down and saw that it was from Josh. Tapping the screen, I quickly scanned the message.

  Josh: Morning baby, I missed you last night. We just got back from the lake, everything is ready, it looks amazing. Can’t wait to see you, love you

  “Is that from Josh?” Libby asked, her voice panicked. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine Lib. It’s all ready at the lake and Josh says it looks amazing.” I watched as she let out a sigh of relief, and frowning, I met her eyes in the mirror again. “What did you think the message was going to say?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno…that Mason had changed his mind.” She dropped her eyes from mine and fiddled with the hem of her robe.

  “Why would he do that? He loves you—I’ve never seen a man more eager to make someone his wife,” I told her, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

  “I guess I still can’t quite believe someone as amazing as Mason wants to be with me. I’m not good enough for him,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  I kneeled down beside her and took her hand in mine. “Hey, where is all this coming from?” I asked gently. She shook her head and I reached for a tissue, passing it to her so she could wipe her eyes. “You are good enough, and Mason certainly thinks so. He loves you so much. Please talk to me.” I waited while she blew her nose and finally, her eyes met mine.

  “Mia should be here. She should be here on my wedding day. Sav, I miss her so much. Thinking about her brings everything back,” she said as she sobbed.

  “She’s in here Lib,” I said, touching her chest. “She will always be in here. She would be so happy for you, and she wouldn’t want you to be upset.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath, composing herself. “I know you’re right. We got a wedding card from her parents. It arrived yesterday morning, and it brought it all back to me, how unfair it is that she’s missing out on life.”

  “It is unfair, but she wouldn’t want you to miss out on your life too. You’re marrying your Prince Charming, remember?”

  She smiled and nodded her head. “I am, thank you,” she said, smiling at me.

  I waved my hand. “You don’t need to thank me, you can pay me back in babysitting duty,” I joked. “I’m also going to need you to help me up—turns out kneeling down at almost 30 weeks pregnant isn’t such a great idea!” I exclaimed, and she laughed as she took my arm, pulling me up.

  “I love you Sav,” she said as she hugged me.

  “I love you too Lib, now let’s get you married!” I picked up the curling iron and motioned for her to sit back down.

  An hour later, we were all dressed and ready to make our way to the lake. Libby looked incredible in her dress, and her dad cried when he saw her coming down the stairs. My dress was beautiful, though a little on the snug side. My breasts seemed to be growing on a daily basis, and they were very much on display. I had no doubt Josh was going to love it. He had taken quite a liking to my breasts, and kept commenting on how big they were getting.

  Aunt Emma and my mom were already at the lake, and my dad was driving me, Libby,

  and Uncle Phil in the truck. It wasn’t exactly fancy transportation for a wedding, but we didn’t want to get stuck in the fields in a normal car, so it would have to do. We pulled up a little way from where the ceremony was set to take place, and my dad came around and helped me down from the truck. The weather was beautiful. It was a little chilly, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining. For December, we couldn’t have asked for better than that.

  I took my dad’s arm then he walked me up toward the lake, and I gasped when I caught sight of how beautiful it looked. Fairy lights had been strung in the trees, like when Mason had proposed, and a few rows of white wooden chairs were set out on either side of an aisle. Bunches of roses were tied to the ends of each row, and blush pink ribbon was tied around the roses. It was simple, but perfect.

  My dad took his seat, and I turned around to see Libby on the arm of her dad, tears in her eyes, in awe of how amazing everything looked. We were still tucked out of sight of the guests, and I walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek.

  “You look stunning Libby, are you ready?” I asked. She nodded and I walked to the beginning of the aisle, only then seeing the large wooden arch Mason was standing under. While his back was toward me, I took a minute to look around, taking in just how beautiful everything looked. The arch had the same flowers winding all the way up it, along with more fairy lights and blush pink ribbon. It was positioned so Mason and Libby looked out over the lake as they took their vows.

  Taking a deep breath, I gestured with a nod to the officiant and he asked the guests to stand. Nerves swirled in my stomach and I held on tightly to my bouquet, praying I wouldn’t trip down the aisle. Mason stood at the front of the aisle with Brody, Jack, and Josh next to him, and as they turned to face me, I smiled and began walking. My eyes met with Josh’s and I grinned as I looked him up and down. He looked gorgeous, wearing a dark blue suit with a light grey woolen waistcoast and a white shirt. His tie matched the color of my dress perfectly, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

  As I reached Mason, I kissed him softly on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “She looks beautiful Mase.” Taking my position on the opposite side from the groomsmen, I turned and looked toward the end of the aisle, waiting for Libby to appear.

  Glancing over to Josh, I saw that he was still looking at me, and as my eyes met his, he mouthed, “I love you.” I grinned back at him, my nerves replaced with a thousand butterflies. The chorus of “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young began to play, and I tore my eyes away from Josh to watch Libby. As she walked down the aisle on the arm of her dad, tears welled in my eyes and I looked over at Mason as he watched Libby walk toward him, his face a picture of happiness. The music faded as Libby reached him and I watched as she kissed Uncle Phil on his cheek, taking her place in front of the officiant. Mason took Libby’s hand and he bent down, brushing a kiss on her cheek. He must have whispered something in her ear as I saw her look at him as her cheeks flushed pink.

  The ceremony was beautiful, and as I predicted, the tears were flowing as they said their vows. After they were announced as man and wife, they walked back down the aisle arm in arm. Looking up, I saw that Josh was waiting for me, and I took his arm as we followed Libby and Mason.

  “You look beautiful Savannah,” Josh said, leaning his head next to mine. “I don’t thi
nk I saw any of the ceremony because I couldn’t stop looking at you.”

  “You’re looking pretty hot yourself Mr. Miller. I hope you get to keep the suit—I could get used to seeing you all dressed up.”

  “Don’t get too used to it sweetheart,” he said, tugging on his collar. “I think the next time I’ll be wearing a suit will be at our wedding. Thank God my job only requires jeans and a t-shirt,” he said with a chuckle. I stopped abruptly and he tugged on my arm. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. Looking around, I made sure no one was within earshot of us. Lib and Mason were being congratulated by everyone, and Jack and Brody were talking with Ava, Rose, and Harper. “Sav?” he prompted.

  “Our wedding?” I asked him quietly, my eyes focused on the bouquet I was holding. He stepped closer to me and wrapped me in his arms. As I looked up at him, he smiled.

  “Yes baby, our wedding. You seem surprised—did you not hear me at my parents’ house a few weeks ago, when I said you and the baby would be having my last name soon?”

  I nodded. “I did, I just thought you were trying to convince your mom you were serious about us.” I bit down on my lip as I looked at him.

  Reaching his hand up, he gently tugged my lip from between my teeth and traced his finger over where I had been biting. “I was trying to convince her we were serious, but I meant every word. Savannah, you will be my wife, and soon—hell, I’d do it right now, except I think Lib and Mason might have something to say if we hijacked their wedding.”

  I giggled and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. “I love you,” I murmured against his mouth.

  “I love you too,” he replied. “Come on, I think we’re wanted for photos,” he said, taking my hand and leading me toward where the photographer was waiting.

  The rest of the afternoon raced by. It was a relatively small wedding, and a sit-down meal had been arranged by outside caterers back at the ranch house. Speeches were made and tears were shed. I’d never seen Libby so happy; she was almost glowing, and Mason hadn’t left her side since they said their vows.