Page 95 of Finding Fate

Jet dropped his hands and let her resume pacing. Calming her down was a lost cause at this point. He sat down on the padded wicker loveseat, the seat cold through his khakis, and waited.

It wasn’t long before the fence’s gate opened, and Izzy and Tucker stepped through, his hand placed on her back in a way that showed he was trying to keep her calm as she stared fixedly at the ground, her shoulders tense and jaw set.

“Maybe I did underestimate their reactions,” Jet realized as he exchanged a quick, panicked look with Annie, their friends still stoic and unspeaking as they took the chairs opposite.

Annie took the spot on the loveseat next to Jet, her bottom lip pressed between her teeth. The waiting was driving her crazy. She just wanted to get the yelling over with. “Izzy, look,” she started.

Izzy held up a hand, stopping her sister’s words short.

Annie shut her mouth and waited for the explosion that was sure to come.

“That was the second worst conversation we have ever been put through.” Her words were quiet but filled with irritation.

“What was the worst?” Jet asked.

Tucker and Izzy gave him a pointed look of exasperation. “Do you really have to ask, man?”

“Oh.”

“So how mad are you?” Annie asked tentatively, surprised at the lack of yelling.

“Well…” Isabel drug it out, enjoying seeing her sister squirm a little. “I was going to ask you to plan Destiny’s shower, but after what her aunt and uncle put her parents through today…”

“Baby shower? Destiny? Destiny!”It clicked as Annie sorted through the information. “It’s a girl?! Y’all said you weren’t going to find out!”

“She surprised us,” Tucker laughed at her reaction.

“That’s awesome, dude,” Jet congratulated with a fist bump.

“Extremely awesome!” Annie jumped forward to hug Tucker and then wrap her arms around her sister. “I’m so happy for y’all! And I’m really sorry that we sent them in behind your backs. We just love you guys, and we want what’s best for you.”

“We did it before you and I talked,” Jet explained to Tucker. “Neither of you were making any plans. We had to do something.”

“We know, man. That’s why we’re not more upset about it.”

Izzy pulled out of Annie’s hug, still tense with irritation. “We’re just upset that you fed us to the parental lions. You can plan the shower, sis, but if you ever do anything like that to us again,”

“I won’t hold her back,” Tucker finished.

“Deal,” Annie agreed.

“Fire?” Jet offered, noticing Izzy start to shiver. She nodded, and he got up to grab the supplies to start the fire pit while Tucker ran inside for drinks and snacks.

“S’mores?” he suggested, holding up the trio of sweet ingredients from the doorway.

“Yes!” Izzy gushed.

“I’m so relieved that you’re not more upset about this,” Annie sighed as they all settled back around the fire to roast their marshmallows.

“I tried to tell her you wouldn’t be, but she didn’t believe me.”

“Oh, trust me, Jet; I was. Tucker had to talk me down before we came over.”

“Like I said…I won’t hold her back next time.”

They heard a noise from behind them and found Tabitha peeking through the back door. “Hi, everybody. Tyler said he saw y’all back here, and I needed to talk to Izzy.”

“Oh? Here, join us,” Isabel eagerly patted an open chair by the fire.

---