Defensive (Guarded Heart #1) Read online

  “I know. I’m sorry he was such an ass back then but it’s been years now. He’s raising Eric on his own. He’s much more mature and he’s still in love with you,” I told her as I drove down the interstate.

  “And I’m probably still in love with him if I actually thought about it. But you know what? He lives in Tulsa and I live here, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  “True. I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. I just love both of you and want both of you to be happy.”

  “I know. And I’m so glad you have Jackson. You deserve to be happy, too.”

  “Thanks,” I said as I pulled into a space outside her apartment. “And thanks for coming tonight. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

  “Hey, any time your boyfriend wants to give me free tickets, I’m there,” she said with a laugh.

  I gave her a hug and she crawled out of the car. I waited until she made it inside safely and pulled away.

  I walked into Jackson’s brownstone, put my purse on the kitchen counter, and grabbed a water from the fridge. I wasn’t really sure if I should wait on him or if I should just go to bed. I didn’t really want to fall asleep without at least kissing him and telling him how awesome he had been, but I didn’t know how late he would be. I also figured he would be really tired. In the end, I settled on the couch with my laptop to check Facebook and watched Friends re-runs.

  Jackson

  I felt great as I drove home. I had just won my first regular season game with the Thunder and I knew that Vanessa was at my place, waiting for me. I had barely gotten to see her today and I couldn’t wait. My phone rang and I punched the phone button on the steering wheel as I saw Ray’s name flash on the radio screen.

  “Yeah.”

  “Man, you were awesome tonight. Where are we celebrating?” he asked.

  “Thanks. I’m celebrating at home with Vanessa,” I told him as I turned the corner to my street.

  “Oh, come on. Your first regular season game with the Thunder and you’re celebrating at home?”

  “Yeah. That sounds like a great way to celebrate. I’m home so I’ll just call you sometime soon, okay? Go out and celebrate for both of us.”

  “Fine, whatever.” I had been friends with Ray for as long as I could remember but he really needed to grow up and realize that I was done with that life.

  I exited my Range Rover and climbed the steps to enter my house. I walked around the corner to find Vanessa asleep on the couch with her pajamas on and Friends re-runs playing on the TV. She looked peaceful but I couldn’t let her sleep on the couch.

  I walked over to her and brushed her hair off of her face. God, she was beautiful. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and picked her up.

  “Hey,” she said sleepily. “You’re home. You were amazing tonight.”

  I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Thanks. I’m going to put you in bed and take a quick shower, okay?” I always showered in the locker room but I never really felt clean. Locker room showers always seem dirty to me so I usually shower again after I get home or back to my hotel room.

  “Can I come with you?” she asked.

  “To the shower? Absolutely.”

  I reached into the shower and turned the water on then placed her on her feet. “I missed you today,” I told her before I placed a kiss on her lips.

  “I missed you, too.”

  I kissed her again, harder this time. She parted her lips and allowed my tongue inside. We quickly got undressed and hopped into the shower.

  An hour later, we were lying in bed. Vanessa’s head was in the crook of my arm and her legs were wrapped around mine. “You were amazing.”

  “You were pretty amazing, too,” I told her, even though I knew she was talking about the game.

  “Well, the shower was amazing but I was talking about how you played tonight.”

  “Oh, that. I guess I didn’t play too bad, but it helps that my teammates are pretty good,” I said, yawning.

  “I bet you’re tired. Before I forget, my brother and his little boy are coming to visit. It was a last minute decision but we decided to take him to the zoo tomorrow. You wanna come?”

  I sighed. I needed to get meeting her brother over with since I had already met her parents. Her dad still didn’t seem to trust me but he didn’t hate me, either. Maybe her brother would like me and persuade her dad. “I told my parents I would have breakfast with them before they left so, depending on what time, I could come with you guys to the zoo.”

  “Great, now get some rest. I love you.”

  I gave her one last kiss and said. “I love you, too,” before I drifted off to sleep.

  I talked Vanessa into having breakfast with my parents and me. “I really like your mom. I hope she feels the same way about me,” Vanessa told me as we drove toward the restaurant.

  “I’m sure she does, since she hasn’t mentioned anything bad about you. Usually, she is pretty vocal when she doesn’t like someone.”

  She looked over at me with an arched eyebrow. “Really? Your mom seems like the type that wouldn’t say anything rude about anyone.”

  I chuckled. “No. My mom is the complete opposite of that. At least when it comes to my immediate family. She has no problem telling us what she thinks of someone.”

  “Interesting,” she mumbled as I pulled into an open parking space.

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her over toward me then kissed her, “Don’t worry; my mom loves you.”

  “But she hasn’t said that to you.”

  “Exactly. I’m not saying she won’t say that to me but her not saying anything is a good sign,” I said. “Besides, it only matters that I love you. And I do. You know that, right?”

  She gave me a kiss on the lips and another on my cheek. “I know. And I love you, too.”

  “Good. Let’s go inside. I’m hungry.”

  I got out of the vehicle and met her at the back of the car, pulling her close to me as we strolled toward the restaurant. “Hey, later today, I have to meet your brother and see your dad, whom we both know isn’t crazy about me. At least you’ve already met my mom.”

  She smiled. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  I opened the door and was greeted by my parents. My mom hugged me as soon as we entered.

  “I’m so proud of you! You look so much better in your Thunder jersey than your Knicks jersey,” my mom said.

  “Um. Thanks, Mom. Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey.” He gave me a pat on the back.

  “Vanessa, I’m glad you could join us,” my mom told her as she hugged her.

  She gave my mom a smile, “Me, too. Thanks for the invite.”

  “You’re invited anytime.”

  The host called my dad’s name and we were seated in the back of the restaurant. I was positive my dad had requested that. He knew how much I hated being recognized and how much I wanted a normal life. In New York, it was a lot easier to blend in with the crowd than Oklahoma City.

  “So are y’all leaving after we eat?” I asked my parents.

  “Yeah. You know how your mom likes to be home and ready for Church on Sunday mornings.”

  “I just don’t like to miss it. Plus, I need my gossip.” She turned toward Vanessa. “Do you go to church, honey?”

  Vanessa looked over at me then looked at my mom. “Um, not in a while. I grew up Baptist and went the entire time I was growing up.”

  “That’s good. Jackson grew up Catholic but I can’t get him to go. Not even when he is home visiting.”

  “So, Dad, what do you think of the Cowboys this year?” I asked to change the subject.

  “Doing pretty good.” My dad never had much to say. My mom, on the other hand, could talk and talk. I loved them both but sometimes my dad’s silence was easier to take.

  My mom rambled on and on to Vanessa about different topics and I could tell that she really liked her. If she hadn’t liked her, she wouldn’t have been as friendly. That was a relief because my mom could b
e real bitch if she wanted to be.

  I flagged down the waiter after everyone was finished and paid the check for the table and we left the restaurant.

  I told my dad bye and gave him a hug. I waited for my mom to stop hugging Vanessa before I pulled my mom into a hug. “I really like this one. Hang on to her,” she whispered into my ear.

  “I plan on it. I think I’ve found the one, Mom”

  She pulled back with the biggest smile on her face. “Thank goodness.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “I was just scared that you’d wind up with a money grubbing twit, that’s all.”

  I tried not to laugh. “Well, she’s not that.”

  “Rosa, we need to get going and she can hear you,” my dad said from behind my mom.

  My mom turned around and pulled Vanessa into a side hug. “I really am glad he found you. You seem to actually like him and not his money.”

  “I do really like him. Actually, I love him.” Vanessa had the biggest smile on her face, and she was looking straight at me. If my parents hadn’t been there, I would have grabbed her up and kissed the hell out of her. She was beautiful.

  We finally parted ways with my parents and drove back to my place. We had a few hours to kill before the zoo trip. A part of me was looking forward to it, although a part of me was dreading it. If her brother was an ass, I was stuck with him for a few hours.

  As we both sank down on the couch, I turned the television on. “So, tell me a little bit about your brother,” I prompted as I flipped through the channels.

  She sighed and looked at me. “Well, he’s only a year older than me and Eric is seven. Landon’s an IT guy for some big company. That’s about it.”

  “I know he’s not married but does he have a girlfriend or anything?”

  Her head fell back against the couch and she looked at me. “No. He hasn’t dated anyone since he dated Eric’s mom, Tosha. They didn’t date very long because he was and still is in love with Amanda. They dated back in high school and his first year of college. He broke up with her because he wanted to experience college and wound up getting the first chick he dated pregnant.”

  That was surprising. I had dated Vanessa for a while now and she had never mentioned that before, but she barely spoke about her brother. “Umm. Okay. I’ll make sure not to mention Amanda today?”

  She exhaled. “Yeah, it’s best not to mention either one of them to the other. I wish it was different but it is what it is.”

  I glanced at the clock and realized I only had about an hour or so alone with her before we met up with her brother and then I had practice. Now that the season had started, we wouldn’t be getting a lot of time together. I’d be out of town or practicing a lot so I figured I’d better make the most out of our time together.

  “Hey, let’s stop talking about family.” I grabbed her and placed her on top of me, making her straddle me. “I can think of better things for us to do.”

  She leaned in, only centimeters from my lips. “What’s that?”

  I replied by kissing her and grasping both of her thighs. She responded by sighing and grabbing my hair. Pulling away from her mouth I moved to kiss her jaw then down her neck. My hands moved up and tugged the bottom of her shirt. I pulled it slowly up her body, while I continued to kiss her. When I got close to her breasts, she moved and pulled her top the rest of the way off. She clutched my shirt and pulled it off in one swift move while I unhooked her bra. I moved back and looked at her body. She was perfection. We quickly got rid of the rest of our clothes and I lost myself in her.

  We lay cuddled together on the couch for a while afterwards. I could have stayed like that forever. “We should probably get up and get dressed,” she said, rolling off the couch. “I’m excited to see Eric.”

  “I guess you’re right. What’s he into? I’d like to have something to talk to him about.”

  She thought about it as she picked up her discarded bra and shirt. “You. He loves watching basketball.”

  “Well, this should be easy.” I grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss before grabbing my clothes.

  Vanessa

  I grabbed Jackson’s hand as we exited the car and headed toward the entrance of the zoo. I was grateful that he was taking time out of his life to spend part of his day with my family.

  “Thank you,” I told him as I squeezed his hand.

  He looked over at me with a questioning look. “For what?”

  “Coming with me and spending time with my family.” I shrugged.

  He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. “Of course. I love you and I want to get to know them. If they’re important to you, they’re important to me.”

  I was so thankful for this man. He was showing me what real, true love was every day. Like doing things that may not be the worst things but they weren’t things he’d normally do anyway; he did them just because it was important to me. Shane would have never come to the zoo to spend time with my family. Well, at least not after I lost the baby.

  “Your parents are over there and I assume the guy and child are Landon and Eric,” he said, pointing toward my family.

  “Yep, that’s them.” I let go of his hand and picked up the pace to walk over to my family. Even though my parents didn’t live that far from me, I didn’t see them very often. I had missed them and I’d missed my brother a lot.

  “Hey, sis. How you been?” My brother gave me a big bear hug.

  “I’m good. I’m better than good actually; I’m great.” I turned toward my nephew, who was staring at Jackson. “Hey, Eric. How are you, buddy?” I asked before wrapping my arms around him.

  “I’m okay,” was all he offered. He couldn’t stop looking at Jackson.

  “You must be Eric,” I heard him say.

  Eric’s face lit up. “Yeah. You know my name?”

  Jackson walked up closer to him. “Of course I know your name. Your aunt talks about you all the time.” That was kind of a lie. I had mentioned him, but I never really talked about him that much because I hardly knew him. They lived two hours away, which wasn’t that much but enough of a distance we didn’t see each other a lot.

  “Cool. So you play basketball for the Thunder? I watched you last night on TV.”

  Jackson’s grin grew. “I do. Maybe one day you can come to one of the games.”

  “I can?”

  He ruffled up Eric’s hair a little. “Sure. Whenever your dad says you can.”

  “We’ll see, buddy. Why don’t we go inside and look at all the animals?” my brother suggested, before walking down the sidewalk.

  I walked over to my parents and gave them quick hugs and fell into step with Jackson. He grabbed my hand. I noticed that Eric wasn’t walking with my brother; instead, he was walking on the other side of Jackson. At least he had won him over.

  “Aren’t they cool? I love lions,” Eric exclaimed as we strode up to the glass wall where the male lion was sunning himself on a rock.

  “They are. Very cool,” I told him. I turned around to see Jackson talking to my brother who was using all sorts of hand gestures. They looked happy so I decided to let them talk. I wanted to hang out with Eric and get to know him better. “What’s your favorite animal?”

  “The lion. No, bears. No, I don’t really know. I guess I like a lot of them,” he said, still watching the lion. The lion let out a roar and Eric yelled. “Awesome!”

  I laughed as my dad came up next to me. “How are you, Vanessa?”

  “I’m really good, Dad.”

  “Good. Have you seen Shane lately?”

  I gave him a questioning look, “No. I divorced him so I don’t plan on ever seeing him again if I can help it.”

  “I was just checking. I didn’t know if he would leave you alone or not.”

  “We just didn’t know how he would be after what happened to his mom,” my mother said.

  I shook my head. “What happened to his mom?”

  “She had
a stroke Thursday. She’s okay. I mean, she’s going to have some mobility issues but she’s going to live.”

  I may not have cared much for Shane but I still loved his parents. The thought of Jeannie having a stroke made me so sad. I also felt conflicted because I felt like I should call or visit or something, but I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate with all that had happened with Shane.

  “No. He hasn’t tried to contact me at all,” I said.

  “Let’s go look at something else.” Eric said as he turned away from the lion.

  I looked over at him and tried to clear my thoughts from Jeannie’s stroke. “Yeah, what’s next?”

  “Monkeys!”

  I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. “Hey, are you okay? You look… sad.”

  I looked up to see Jackson’s concerned face. “I’m okay.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “It’s just, um… Shane’s mom, whom I still love, had a stroke. It just made me sad to hear the news.”

  His face fell. I could tell it hurt him a little that I still cared about Shane’s family. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is she okay?”

  “Mom said she would live but she had some mobility issues. I’m sorry if it bothers you that I feel upset. It’s just that I still like his parents. I’ve known them for a long time.”

  “I know. It’s okay. I mean, if someone has something like that happen, you should feel bad. I’m not heartless.”

  “I just know that you hate Shane.”

  He gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “Yes, I do hate that asshole. After the way he treated you, he’s lucky I haven’t beaten the shit out of him.”

  I grabbed his arm. “Come on, let’s go see some monkeys.”

  He smiled, which made me glad that he wasn’t still upset. “I wouldn’t want to miss the monkeys,” he said with a smirk.

  Jackson walked over to stand beside Eric in the monkey building while I stood with my brother. “I can’t believe my little sister is dating basketball superstar Jackson Berrios,” he said.

  “I know, right? He’s very good to me, though.”