“Where’s Franklin? And Summer?” he asked.
“They’re back at the house. They wanted to give us Pierces some privacy,” she said, looking up at him, her eyes misty behind her glasses.
He was an asshole. An overgrown, immature, pathetic asshole, Beckett decided.
Maybe, just maybe, the man he’d been blaming for fading his father’s memory was actually somehow making it more vibrant for his mother.
And the brothers he’d thought had forgotten had beaten him to it.
He draped an arm over his mother’s shoulders and walked her back to the chairs.
Wordlessly, Carter handed him a beer. Beckett took a seat between his brothers and they all sat in silence, lost in their own memories as the sky went pink and orange.
“Remember that time Dad brought home the three-legged cat he found on the side of the road?” Jax asked, breaking the silence as the sun slipped behind the trees.
“Good old Tripod. He always did have a soft spot for strays.” Carter grinned.
The sound of his mother’s laugh was balm to Beckett’s heart.
9
Gia was feeling decidedly un-yoga-like. She’d considered pawning off her Pierce brother yoga competition judging to Destiny. But that was too cowardly.
Beckett’s blow-up at the gym the previous morning had taken her by surprise. And, if she was being honest with herself, hurt. The last time they’d seen each other, he’d almost kissed her.
But it was a completely different Beckett Pierce that had coldly accused her — and her father — of essentially trespassing in his home, his town, his family. The volatility had seemed wildly out of character. Granted, she didn’t know him very well and he could very well be a closet temper-tantrum-thrower, but somehow she didn’t think so.
Beckett was beloved in this town and one didn’t earn that esteem by lashing out and throwing hissy fits. She sighed. She didn’t have time to crack the enigma that was Beckett Pierce.
It was just the universe’s way of reminding her to stay focused on her kids and her new business, Gia decided.
She padded across the studio to roll out three mats for the Pierces. She’d put them in the middle row so they could follow what the front row was doing without hiding in the back.
She placed yoga blocks next to each mat and then inventoried the water in the little cooler against the wall. If Beckett’s reaction to his first class was any indication, his brothers would need some serious rehydration, too.
She felt a wicked little smile play on her lips. It might be a little fun to torture the Pierces.
Gia checked that the heaters were cranked and the temperature in the studio was steadily rising. A glance at the clock told her she still had a few minutes before her early birds would show up, which meant Beckett wouldn’t be far behind.
The nerves in her belly fluttered to life.
She, Gianna Rose Decker, was nervous about seeing a man. And not a sexy, intimidating Hollywood star-type man. Just a regular ol’ normal hot guy next-door type. A regular ol’ unpredictable hot guy next-door type.
Ugh.
A nice headstand sequence would calm her she decided, bringing her hand to her unsettled stomach. She returned to her mat at the front of the room. Distributing her weight between her forearms and the top of her head, Gia let her legs slowly float up one at a time stretching toward the ceiling.
It was a graceful move that gave no hint at the core strength it took to achieve.
It had taken her a full year of relentless practice to nail this level of headstand. It was a solid reminder of what hard work and focus could bring to life. And that’s exactly what she would do here in Blue Moon. Work hard and focus.
She let her body and breath lead her brain to quiet.
She could do this. She would do this.
The studio door opened and Gia’s eyes fluttered open. Even upside down Beckett was a heartbreaker. She took her time lowering her toes to the floor and coming out of the pose, hoping the longer she stalled, the less time they’d be alone.
She came to her feet. Even though their height difference was comical, she didn’t want to face him sitting down.
“I hope you don’t mind that I came a little early,” Beckett said, his hands shoved in the pocket of his hoodie. His dark hair was perfectly tousled; black gym shorts accented his long, muscular legs. Energy-wise, he was the opposite of the angry man in the gym yesterday. Calm and a little cautious today. He let his gym bag slide to the floor, nudged it with his foot.
Gia turned away from him and busied herself with rearranging the foam blocks on the shelving unit. “It’s no problem. You can start warming up,” she told him, pointing toward the empty mats.
“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you for a —”
The studio door opened again and Jax and Carter entered.
“I told you he’d weasel in here early and try to earn brownie points,” Jax said to Carter.