Chapter 14 Tanner
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TANNER
I don’t usually get nervous. Not really. But standing outside the glass doors of Celestial Balance Yoga, I’m sweating like a hooker in church. My hands are slick, my pulse is racing, and I’ve zipped and unzipped my hoodie so many times I think the zipper’s about to fall off.
I jam my right hand in my pocket for the billionth time, just to make sure the box is still there.
It is. It’s been burning a hole in my pocket since I picked it up from the jeweler two weeks ago.
I try not to think about the fact that in less than an hour, I’m hoping to be engaged to the woman of my dreams, and instead focus on the logistical nightmare that is wrangling my entire family into a yoga studio.
Right on cue, I hear the sound of Hudson’s monster SUV pulling into the parking lot. The door pops open, and he unfolds out of the cab looking like an Adidas ad. Silas hops out of the passenger seat, wearing a similar outfit and shaking his head at me.
Hudson gives me a once-over, zeroing in on my face. “You look like you’re about to shit your pants,” he drawls.
“At least I remembered to cut the fucking tags out of my shorts,” I fire back, pointing at the little white tag sticking out of his waist.
“Fuck me with a stick.” My oldest brother growls and reaches around to snap the paper tag off while Silas grumbles under his breath about the shit he does for me.
Next to arrive is Cole, who happens to be in town for the charity rodeo. He pops out in Lululemon shorts, a neon green compression shirt, and Ray-Bans, looking less like my brother and more like the love child of a personal trainer and a frat member.
“Morning, gentlemen,” he chirps, then squints at me. “You alright, Tannie? You look a little peaky.”
“Shut up,” I say, but I’m smiling now because, for all his bullshit, Cole’s energy is infectious.
The next ten minutes are a blur of arrivals and barely contained chaos.
Todd Sharp shows up wearing an ancient Silver Spoon Falls Football T-shirt with the sleeves hacked off.
He eyes the yoga studio sign like it’s personally offended him, but when he claps me on the back, it’s gentle.
“You sure about this?” he whispers, low enough for only me to hear.
“Only thing I’ve ever been sure of,” I say, and mean it.
Flint Stockton lopes in next, wearing jeans and an honest-to-God bolo tie, but he’s at least taken off the cowboy hat. He nods at me, then leans in conspiratorially. “I came for moral support, but I’ll be damned if I wear fucking nylon shorts for anyone.”
“That’s probably for the best, Flint,” I say, then add, “because none of us are prepared to see your hairy ass legs anyway.”
By the time everyone has gathered, the sidewalk outside the yoga studio looks like the NFL draft meets an Adidas fashion show.
I clear my throat, needing to remind these assholes of the ground rules.
“Listen up,” I say, in the same tone I use before we hit the arena or a board meeting that’s about to go nuclear.
“I need you all to remember this is Star’s business.
Not a bar, not the ranch. No one’s allowed to fuck around. Understood?”
Hudson’s lip twitches like he wants to say something but doesn’t. Cole fakes a salute and grins. Todd gives a single, solemn nod, like he’s receiving a field promotion. Flint just says, “Yessir.”
“One more thing.” I stare each one of them down, in turn. “You can shake hands with Star. You can even compliment her yoga moves. But if any of you tries to hug her, or touch her in any other way, I will break your fucking fingers.”
There’s a beat of silence. Then Cole bursts out laughing, and even Hudson lets out a snort.
“Jesus,” Cole says, “you left pussy-whipped in the rear-view mirror way the hell back.”
“Lay off of him.” Maggie walks up with Saoirse.
Both of them have their hair done up in identical fancy ass braids, both wearing yoga pants and matching tank tops that read “NAMASTE, BITCHES” in sparkly letters.
They’re practically vibrating with excitement.
My little sister turns and gives me an up-and-down scan.
“Are you ready? Oh my God, you’re so pale. You aren’t going to faint, are you?”
Saoirse smirks. “He really is white as a sheet.”
I open my mouth to retort, but nothing comes out. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths, then I mutter, “I’m fine.” Or at least I will be once I get this over with.
Maggie pats my arm reassuringly, then turns to the other men. “You guys look… scary.”
“No shit,” Hudson says, stone-faced. “I’d rather have a fucking prostate exam than prance around a yoga studio.”
God. I hope this holds together. “Pull your shit together,” I grumble and herd everyone toward the building. I take another deep breath, squeeze the ring box in my pocket for luck, and push open the door.
Time to see if I can actually do this without puking.
Star is standing near the back corner, fussing with a Bluetooth speaker, when she spots us.
Her jaw actually drops, which I didn’t know was a real thing that happened outside of cartoons.
For a split second, her eyes go huge, and I swear she considers making a break for the emergency exit, but she rallies fast.
She glances at me, and I just shrug. What can I say? My family is a lot.
“Wow,” she says, with only the faintest tremor in her voice, “I didn’t know you were bringing your entire family today.”
I beam at her, pride and something uncomfortably close to worship swelling in my chest. “They decided they wanted to check out your classes.”
Hudson is the first to approach. “Yoga has made such a change in this idiot, I decided I couldn’t live another moment without giving it a shot.” He holds out his hand to Star. “I’m Hudson, the good-looking brother.”
Star laughs as she shakes his hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Cole steps up, flashing his million-dollar smile and a practiced, “Hey, I’m Cole. The fun one.”
Star laughs, and it’s genuine—light and pretty and not a hint of nerves. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Maggie drags Silas over. “This is my twin brother, Silas,” she tells Star.
“The real good-looking brother,” Silas adds, smirking, and shakes Star’s hand.
Next is Todd, who towers over everyone but walks like he’s afraid of breaking something.
He shakes her hand like he’s holding a baby bird.
“Todd Sharp. Pleasure to meet you,” he says, and his voice is calm, which is new.
I’m used to hearing him scream expletives at offensive linemen, not mumble around pretty women.
Flint is last, boots and all. He tips an imaginary hat and says, “Ma’am,” then gives her a dead-serious stare. “I can’t believe you would give this ugly asshole the time of day.”
Star giggles as I make plans to kick Flint’s ass. “What can I say? He grew on me.”
“Like a fungus,” Silas mutters, then whispers under his breath to Flint, “I can’t believe my dumbass brother managed to tame this free-spirited goddess. What’s next in this insane world? Cats and dogs living in harmony?”
“I know,” Flint agrees. “Craziness is in the air.” I flip both of the fuckers off behind my back.
A few other women walk in and appear a little shocked to find the entire Carrington clan preparing for the class.
Once everyone’s settled, Star claps her hands for attention. “All right, everyone. If this is your first yoga class, just focus on breathing and don’t take it too seriously. If you’re a regular,”—she winks at me—“let’s welcome our new friends.”
We head to our mats, spaced out in two neat rows. I end up right in front, between Cole and Flint, with Todd, Silas, and Hudson in the back row, probably so they can blend into the background.
We start slow, with some deep breathing and “easy” stretches.
I slide right into position, letting the muscle memory of weeks of private sessions take over.
But when I glance to the side, Cole’s already grunting and rolling his shoulders.
On my other side, Flint is sitting cross-legged, arms folded, looking like he’d rather be just about anywhere else right now.
I glance back at Hudson, who’s trying his best not to make a fool out of himself. Todd, meanwhile, is gamely following along, but his massive body just isn’t cooperating.
Star starts a flow, and the family falls apart instantly. While she’s giving clear instructions, they’re failing miserably at following her directions.
She moves among us, correcting postures with gentle, encouraging touches.
I watch her like a hawk, making sure no one gets more than the strictly necessary amount of physical contact.
When she rests her hand on Cole’s lower back, he smirks and winks at me.
I mouth, “I will kill you,” but he just grins wider.
Halfway through, Star cues us into Warrior Two. I go deep into the bend, stretching my arms out perfectly parallel, and catch her watching me in the mirror. There’s a spark in her eyes, a silent “well done” that makes my chest puff out just a little more.
Cole is wobbling, his front knee barely bent, but he’s trying to look smooth.
Hudson’s warrior pose is military-level rigid, which is technically correct but looks hilarious in the context of yoga.
Todd’s trembling, sweat already pouring down his forehead.
Flint looks like he’s signaling airplanes. I almost lose my balance from laughing.
Star smothers a smile, then moves to adjust Todd, easing his stance with a soft, “You’re doing great.” Todd blushes so hard. The room is thick with effort and the sound of masculine pride being slowly dismantled.
We run through the sequence two more times. By the end, Cole’s shirt is plastered to his back, Hudson is actually breathing hard, and Todd’s about to pass out. Flint just sprawls on his mat, arms behind his head, boots crossed, like he’s taking a break at a rodeo.
I’ve never been prouder of my ability to touch my toes.
Star brings us down for the cool down, and as we settle onto our backs, the room goes silent except for the hiss of the A/C and the occasional wheeze from my brothers.
She dims the lights and tells us to “Let go of tension and relax completely.” For the first time all morning, I feel myself start to unclench.
The nerves, the pressure, the knowledge that in two minutes I’m going to ask the most important question of my life—all of it blurs out to nothing as I watch Star walk quietly between the mats, her bare feet whispering over the wood floor.
After a minute, she asks everyone to sit up slowly. “Keep your eyes closed and your mind clear.” I do, but my heart’s pounding so loud it’s the only thing I hear.
“Class is over,” she says, “but you’re welcome to linger on your mats if you need a little extra zen.”
Perfect cue.
This is it.
I kneel in front of Star’s mat, heart hammering so hard it’s gotta be visible through my shirt. Every neuron in my body is firing at once, and for a split second, I forget how to breathe.
Star blinks, slow, then faster, like she’s rebooting her whole operating system. “Tanner?” she says, and the sound of her voice is the only thing keeping me from passing out cold on this rubber flooring.
I take her hand, careful and reverent, and press it between both of mine. Then I look up into her wild, beautiful eyes and my mouth just… opens. The words spill out, more honest than anything I’ve ever said in my life.
“Star Wilder, you’ve twisted me up like a pretzel since the second I met you.
You walked into my life and flipped everything upside-down, and I love you for it.
I love your laugh, I love your little weirdo dog, I love the way you pretend you’re not stubborn as hell when everyone knows you are.
You brought balance to my crazy, Star. You made me see the point of slowing down and breathing and—” my voice cracks, just for a second “—and I can’t imagine a single day without you in it. ”
I reach into my hoodie pocket and find the box.
I somehow manage to pop it open with my sweaty palms. Inside, nestled in black velvet, is the ring I picked out after three weeks of agonizing and two hundred texts with Maggie.
Emerald cut, deep green, with diamonds on the sides—so it looks exactly like her eyes when she’s about to call me an idiot.
She stares at it, lips parted, tears streaking down her cheeks now.
“I want to spend every morning and every night with you for the rest of my life. I love you more than anything in this world,” I say, because it’s the only thing that matters. “Will you marry me?”
For a second, she just… stands there with her mouth opening and closing silently. Then she launches herself at me, knocking me flat onto my back, arms locked around my neck so tight I almost lose consciousness. The ring box goes flying, but I don’t even care.
“Yes, you idiot,” she sobs, laughing and crying and kissing my face all at once. “Yes, yes, yes.”
The entire studio erupts. Cole lets out a whoop loud enough to shake the windows. Todd actually punches the air and yells, “Touchdown!” Maggie’s got her phone up and is already live-streaming the proposal to her entire contacts list. Flint claps so hard it echoes, and Saoirse is crying, too.
Hudson stands up, dusts imaginary lint from his sleeve, and gives me the tiniest nod, like, “You did good, little brother.” It means more than any actual speech could.
With hands only slightly less shaky, I slide the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly. The green stone catches the light and flashes, almost radioactive.
I lean in and whisper, “Told you I was serious about waking up with you every morning.”
She grins, all sunshine and messy hair and way too many emotions for one face. “I love you, Tanner Carrington,” she says, and kisses me hard, right in front of everybody.
The entire studio blurs out. All I see is her. All I feel is the rightness of this moment.
When we finally break apart, she’s breathless and beaming and already showing the ring off to Maggie, who is narrating the whole thing like an Olympic sport. “Ten out of ten proposal,” Maggie tells me. “Extra points for not passing out.”
Star’s still clinging to my hand, and I don’t ever want her to let go. My heart finally settles, not because I’m calm, but because it’s found exactly where it belongs.