“Of course she can help.” She releases Sophia’s hand and claps two times, telling us all to get to our mats.
I’m still staring after her as I reach out to grab Lincoln’s arm.
“Is that the same Sadie from Thanksgiving?”
Lincoln nods and peels my hand off his arm. “Yeah. She’s Ellie’s best friend and roommate. You didn’t recognize her?”
There was so much going on that day with Sophia’s mom. From her missing her first holiday, to Sophia crying on and off all day, begging for me to call her mom. I walked through that entire day in a fog, wishing there was something I could do to take my daughter’s pain away. But how in the hell do I not remember Sadie being that stunning? I’ve never seen anyone like her.
My eyes are still transfixed on Sadie as she demonstrates our first position. My feet stay cemented in place, acting as if I move I’ll miss something important. Hell, I don’t want to miss a damn thing if Sadie is involved.
Lincoln’s laugh fades away into the background as I track every movement Sadie makes. Somehow I manage to find myself a mat, positioning my body so I can keep an eye on Sadie, and Sophia, the entire time.
I hang on to every word Sadie says, fully immersing my mind and body into the yoga session. The other guys are laughing, distracted by the furry animals running amuck around us.
But not me.
No, I am lost in all things Sadie.
“Connor, you need to focus on your breathing, not the goat sniffing your goodies.”
Words I never thought I’d say, but here we are.
“For fuck’s sake. The goat has his nose right under my family jewels. How am Inotsupposed to focus on that?”
The grumpy defenseman does his best to stay still in his low lunge position, but Wayne, the cute little black goat, has become fixated on the area between his legs. A little snicker next to me has me smiling and looking down at my assistant for the day.
“That’s a dollar for the swear jar, Uncle Connor!”
Sophia stands with her hands raised above her head, breathing in and out steadily, more stable than half the professional athletes standing in front of us. She continues to giggle at the goat who is currently violating her uncle.
Turning my microphone off for a moment, I ask Sophia, “Do you think one of us should go over there and help him?”
Her hazel eyes meet mine and crinkle at the edges as she laughs again. “Uncle Connor sure doesn’t like Wayne very much. I think I’ll go save him.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Sophia skips off and slides up next to Wayne and Connor. As soon as she lowers herself to the ground, the goat climbs into her lap, causing her to fall into a fit of laughter that has every grown man in the room looking at her in admiration.
That’s one lucky little girl. Twenty-one grown-ass men, completely enamored by her presence. I’d give anything to have even one man look at me with as much care as these guys are looking at her.
Once Sophia is done saving her Uncle Connor, we move onto our next stretch. I quickly turn the microphone back on and give the team their next set of instructions.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen. Now that we’ve done our stretches and breathing exercises, we’re going to get a little friendly with these cutie-pies. Please remember to let the goats initiate any interactions. As cute as they are and how badly you may want to play with them, let them lead. And once we’re down lower to the ground, feel free to interact with them more,ifthey come to you. We’ll still be focusing on our breathing and visualization, but I also want you all to enjoy yourselves. This is supposed to be fun! Call out if you get uncomfortable or need me to help facilitate a position. And if you need help with a goat, call out to either me or Sophia. Any questions?”
I look around at the room full of gigantic professional athletes and am met with a multitude of expressions. Hunter is in all of his glory, perfecting every pose. As he should, considering I drag him with me to every yoga session I attend.
Hunter has quickly become my best friend next to Ellie. With how much time Ellie dedicates to her job and new love life, Hunter and I had no choice but to become friends. Turns out, he’s more like my long-lost brother. Unlike my biological siblings, Hunter gets me.
When I was in high school, my siblings would laugh anytime I’d ask them to do yoga with me. Even though they were younger than me, they had already fallen in line withmy parents’ expectations and were dead set on an Ivy League education. Even my youngest sister had Yale paraphernalia hanging in her room by the time she was twelve. My siblings were desperate for my parents’ love, which I understand. They’d always tell me yoga was “a waste of time” and always questioned why I didn’t take life more seriously.
Hunter, on the other hand, embraces every quirk I have, including attending moon circles with me at full or new moons to release our energy and set intentions, even though he has no clue what I’m talking about half the time. I’m so damn grateful he came into my life. I may be slowly finding my place here in Green Bay, but having him by my side makes the journey even better.
I shoot Hunter a thumbs up and laugh when Gordie runs wild around his feet. I’m not sure what he was thinking, getting that puppy mid-season but you won’t find me complaining. I am so ready for some puppy snuggles.
I continue my perusal of the room. I’d say about 75 percent of the guys are eager and excited to get closer to the goats, while the other 25 percent are either wearing a look of uncertainty or are completely unimpressed with the situation. Their lack of enthusiasm picks at my self-confidence. I can’t help but wonder if what I’m doing is a waste of their time. I shake off their skepticism, like I’ve been doing my entire life, and continue to glance around the room.
One look, however, causes me to trip over my own feet. Sophia’s dad, Niko, has his eyes locked on me in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. His light blue eyes are sharp, focused, and steady, and they hold mine just for a moment too long. There’s no smile, no flirtation—just something unreadable that makes my pulse skip. I shake it off, reminding myself I’m here to teach yoga, and nothing more. Still…there’s something about him that pulls me in.
