I didn't think he would say yes. "Prenatal yoga?" I had asked casually over breakfast while going through my emails. "They say it's good for bonding. With the baby... and the partner." I didn't look up when I said it because I didn't want to see the polite excuse appear on his face, but he didn't. Instead, he asked, "What time?" Ethan Blackwood, CEO, power suit legend, and brooding mystery, was on a yoga mat next to me. He appeared to have wandered into the wrong planet, but he stayed.
As we slid into cat-cow posture, the instructor softly reminded us to breathe. Allow your body to follow your breath. Put a helping hand on your partner's back, dads.
His palm's weight settled softly between my shoulder blades. Warm and steady.
He whispered, so softly that only I could hear, "You're doing fantastic."
In my chest, a spark flickered, then moved downward to the swelling of my abdomen, where our kid lay.
I swiveled around to look at him. He appeared to be at ease. Or attempting to be, anyway.
He had lost his tie. The sleeves were rolled. He ran his fingers through his hair too many times, causing it to become mussed. However, there was a furrowed brow, as if he was still attempting to solve a puzzle he didn't entirely comprehend.
The lecturer led the class into "child's pose."
I groaned as I descended myself, my body rigid yet appreciative. Ethan knelt next to me and did his best to imitate the motion.
I let out a little giggle.
He frowned as he looked over. "What?"
"You appear absurd."
He twitched his mouth. "I feel absurd."
"Well," I muttered. "Now you understand how I feel most of the time."
We exchanged tentative, little smiles with one another. Not proclamations. Only the start of something... simpler.
His touch lingered on my lower back for a moment longer than required as he assisted me in standing up at the end of the class.
"Are you hungry?" he inquired.
"Starving."
As we left the studio and entered the chilly day, an odd new warmth began to grow between us.
Perhaps we were doing more than just stretching our limbs.
Perhaps we were extending something farther, something that might actually come to pass.