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“What?” Thatch went in for a hug. “Seriously? That’s amazing.”
“I don’t know why I was afraid to tell you.” Liam shot him a guilty look. “I don’t want to worry about telling you things anymore.”
“You shouldn’t.” He hoped his brother could sense the sincerity in the words. “I’m not sure I was ever as angry at you as I was with myself, Liam.” Because he’d pushed so hard for this future he thought he wanted. He’d pushed too hard, and it had all fallen apart. “You two are great together. And you’re going to be great parents too.”
“Thanks.” His brother took a drink of water, hesitating again. “I know we’re not as close as we used to be, but we were hoping you’d be the baby’s godfather.”
“Sign me up.” As far as he was concerned, from this moment on, they were close. “You’re my brother. I’d do anything for you.” He’d do anything for his family.
They hugged it out once more, and then Liam studied him. “Think you and Lyric will get married?”
“I don’t have an agenda this time.” And that was freeing. “I love her, and I want to give her the kind of lifeshewants. Whatever that looks like.” He wouldn’t push Lyric into marriage. He wouldn’t envision their future for themalone. He wanted them to build their future together. At their own pace.
“I’m just warning you that Mom has all kinds of ideas about the grandkids and cousins visiting the farm together.”
“That sounds like her,” he said with a laugh. “And I’m not saying it’s impossible.” Something had clicked in him when he’d seen Silas holding his baby boy for the first time. “But we won’t be rushing into anything.”
Liam pushed his shoulder. “You’re a lot wiser than you used to be.”
“I’m a lot faster too.” Thatch took off down the trail, leaving his brother to chase him. “Last one down there has to be front and center in the yoga class.”
Liam’s voice was growing more distant. “Oh, hell no!”
But about halfway down, he let his brother catch up. Thatch could be front and center at yoga. He’d actually gotten pretty good.
The rest of the way down the trail, they talked about the farm and reminisced, getting to the studio ten minutes late.
“I thought you boys were going to skip,” their mom scolded.
“Not a chance.” Thatch went to steal a quick kiss from Lyric while she messed with a Bluetooth speaker.
“Did you two have a nice time?” She fully faced him, setting her hands on his hips.
“We had a great time.” But he would have an even better time here. With her.
“Until he wanted to race me down the trail,” Liam threw in. “You’ll have to go easy on us, Lyric. I’m already exhausted.”
“I can do that.” She started to hand out mats.
“What are you boys, five years old still?” Their mother chastised them with a good shake of her head while she rolled out her mat.
“It’s always gotta be a competition with you two,” their dad said fondly while he set out his mat at the back of the studio.
“That’s what brothers do.” Sienna was smiling bigger than Thatch had seen her smile the whole time she’d been in Star Valley.
He positioned his mat next to Lyric’s. “I just had to remind him who’s faster.” He and Liam used to race everywhere—down the stairs for dinner, home from school, out to the tree house their had dad built for them.
“He didn’t win,” his brother informed everyone. “It ended up being a tie.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” their mother mumbled, but happiness shimmered in her eyes.
“All right, everyone. Let’s go ahead and get started.” Lyric used a remote control to turn on calming music, but you really couldn’t hear it between his dad and brother discussing what kind of flooring the studio had and his mom and Sienna commenting on how nice and cushy the mats were.
“Good luck,” Thatch mouthed to Lyric. She was going to have her work cut out for her with this crew.
The extra chattiness didn’t seem to bother her. She directed them all to start with a breathing warm-up, and then they went through seated side bends.
His brother groaned. “I’m not even bending.”
