Page 68 of The Lyrics of Love

He looked at her in wonder. “How did we become so lucky? All because two teenagers had their heads in the clouds and forgot to fill a gas tank. The rest was fate, I suppose.”

Nash kissed her again repeatedly, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Rylie reveled in each kiss and every touch, as he made love to her again.

They lay, bare limbs entangled, and she said, “We need to get up. I’m starving for something other than you for once.”

“We don’t want to keep Gage waiting, either,” he said, standing and then pulling her to her feet. “As much as I would love to share our news with Gage this morning, I feel we should tell the gang all at the same time. But if it’s okay with you, I do want to share the good news with Pops.”

“I’m happy for you to do so. Pops is simply the best. I’m the lucky one here, marrying you and inheriting a grandfather in the deal.”

They ate a quick breakfast and then both dressed in their wetsuits. Autumn had definitely come to the Cove, not only beginning to change the color of the leaves, but bringing a cool to the air and the water, as well.

Since Nash’s equipment and board were stored in the back of his truck, they placed Rylie’s gear next to it and drove to Lake Barbara.

As they pulled in, she spied Gage leaning against his truck. He waved to them.

They got out of Nash’s truck and Gage asked, “Are you ready for this lesson?”

Rylie and Nash grinned at one another, and she said, “We’re up for whatever comes, Gage.”

Their gazes met—and Rylie knew they would be up for everything they encountered in life because they would be able to lean on one another.

Thankfully, Gage seemed oblivious to their life-altering moods.

“Okay, starting now, I’m treating you as if I don’t know you.” Gage paused and smiled brightly. “Welcome to yoga on the water, or yoga SUP-ing. SUP stands for stand-up paddleboarding and is a common acronym in these parts. I’m Gage Nelson, and I’ll be your instructor for the course.”

Rylie did her best to keep a straight face.

“You might think it’s hard enough to hold a yoga pose, let alone try to do one as you balance on a board in the water. Actually, it’s not that different on land or water. Yoga is all about mindfulness, connecting yourself to your body. Out in nature, it’s even more powerful. Practicing yoga as you SUP will engage muscles you might not usually use in yoga. Balancing on a board means you will need to be incredibly present and very intentional with each movement. And if you’ve practiced yoga for a long time, you might be dialing it in on land. Being on the water will introduce a new challenge to your routine.”

So far, she thought Gage was engaging and informative. Rylie gave him a small, encouraging smile.

“If you would, get out your gear so we can walk through a few things,” Gage continued.

After they did, he explained that they were required to have a PFD while on the water but that it was hard to practice yoga SUP wearing one. While opting for a low-profile, compact one was a choice, he gave each of them something to attach their PFD to their paddleboard and not wear it today. The attachment would allow the PFD to float behind them. He had them put their whistles around their necks and then they walked with their boards, paddles, and leashes to the shoreline.

“Go ahead and attach your leash to your ankle,” he instructed. “Walk out several feet and mount your board then. Remember, even the best yoga SUP-ers fall from time to time, and you will fall today while trying out new poses. I’ll give you the option to remove your leash during our session or leave it tethered to your ankles.”

By now, they were all on their boards. Gage had them paddle out from the shore, asking them to head out far enough so they were in water about fifteen feet deep. On this early Sunday morning, she saw no one in sight.

“Because it can be distracting to drift during your routine—and I want to keep our class together—I’m now handing you an anchor. It’s similar to one which anchors kayaks.”

Gage passed each of them a small anchor and had them attach the end of the anchor’s rope to their boards, asking them to drop anchor.

“When it hits bottom, let out a couple more feet of rope and tie it off at the leash attachment point. Any excess rope, just pile it on the tail of your board.”

“I like being anchored to one spot,” Nash said.

“I know you’ve done yoga before,” Gage said. “On a SUP, you’ll need to move through each pose more slowly than what you normally do. You should also keep a wider stance. Aim for feet hip-width apart. That’ll make for a more stable base. The best poses on the water keep your body aligned perpendicular to your board, because you’ll feel more stable that way.” Gage paused, taking a deep breath. “Okay, we’re going to begin. Just remember no one’s perfect. You’ll most like fall in at some point. No worries. We’re all pretty new to this.”

Their friend had them start in seated prayer pose, telling them it was an easy pose and would help them relax. They moved from it into downward dog, plank, and triangle pose. From those, they shifted into two different warriors, cobra, tabletop, and then bridge pose. Tree pose gave both Nash and her trouble, while Nash had a little trouble with chair, and she found boat pose to be difficult.

Still, by the time they ended their session with corpse pose, Rylie felt invigorated and yet calm.

“Namaste,” Gage said, pressing his palms together. “We’re done. Let’s head back to shore.”

The trio brought up their anchors and retrieved their paddles, making their way back to shore. When the water was shallow enough, they moved from their boards and walked to dry land.

“Let’s put away our equipment and do a post-mortem if you don’t mind,” Gage said. “While things are still fresh in your mind about our session.”

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