Page 62 of Finding Fate

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Emma assured him. “I was just surprised is all.”

By this time, Annie had returned her attention to the gym floor. She saw Izzy shimmying pompoms with the other dancers on the sidelines and caught her gaze. They shared their identical crooked grins and waved back at one another.

A skit that the cheerleaders were performing ended then, and the crowd was given one last upbeat speech about how the Bentonville Sharks would “fight and bite” to win against their opponents at that night’s game.

She watched as the players exited the field, finding the familiar, sun-darkened Greek with ocean blue eyes looking up at her. She beamed as she waved down, and her heart skipped at Jet’s answering smile and wink before he ran off. There was no football practice today to keep them apart. She could hardly wait.

“Catch y’all later,” Emma said as they exited the gym. Annie followed Tucker to the benches under their courtyard tree to wait for Izzy and Jet. Most of the student body was dispersing, ready to go home, but Tucker waited until it was clear before he nudged Annie’s leg.

“What’s up?” He knew she had to have something on her mind. She was way too fidgety. She pressed her lips together and took a breath, debating before she replied.

“I was just curious about something, but I don’t want to get too personal.”

“Whatever, Annie, what could possibly be too personal? Just ask.”

“Fine,” she started, doing a quick glance around to make sure it was clear. “I was kinda thinking about what you let slip to Emma. I mean, do y’all still do it even though you know Izzy’s pregnant now?”

“Just about every day after school,” he replied, surprised she didn’t already know from Izzy.

“It doesn’t freak you out at all?”

Tucker half groaned, half laughed. Leave it to Annie to ask a confusing question.

“No, she’s still Izzy, but sometimes it’s hard to believe that our baby’s really inside her. I mostly worry about when she’s bigger. Not because she’ll be bigger…” he clarified when Annie gave him a look, “More because things will be a lot more difficult then…and different. She’s just now barely starting to say her clothes are tighter, and you still can’t really tell from looking at her, so things haven’t changed yet.”

Annie nodded, seeing how it made sense. “Just be good to her, Tucker. She’s been so much happier since y’all have been together, somehow, even with the whole mess y’all are going through.”

“What are you getting at, Annie?”

She paused with a moment’s hesitation before saying what was actually on her mind. “Just don’t go and have a dating relapse and screw my sister over, okay?”

“What?” That was unexpected.

“Sorry. I know I’ve probably let myself think about this too much, but I’m worried about what you might do. I don’t want Izzy to get hurt, not that I think you would do it on purpose, but you don’t exactly have the best relationship track record, and now there’s a baby on top of it… I know it sounds horrible. You’re my friend, and I love you,” she added at his deflated expression, “but she’s my sister.”

Tucker shook his head. He had thought for sure his friends knew what Izzy meant to him. “Annie, me leaving Izzy is the last thing you’d have to worry about. Being with her is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I would do absolutely anything to make her happy.”

“Including agreeing to keep the baby?”

He looked at his friend, who was so similar yet still so different from his girl. She had read way too easily into what he had just said, and leave it to Annie to call him out.

“Yes. Including agreeing to keep the baby,” he admitted.

Annie looked down, pensive. He wondered what could be going through her mind, but resisted the urge to ask, realizing this was one of the few times Annie wouldn’t be prepared with an answer. She eventually looked up.

“How do you feel about all of this, Tucker?”

“Terrified, confused…”

A long sigh escaped him. She was the first person to ask him that. Her concerned green eyes studied him, waiting with the same strained patience she sometimes used with Izzy for his answer.

“At first it just felt unreal, like, could this really be happening? I mean, Izzy already knew she wanted the baby. She said she fell in love with it instantly. She told me that keeping it was her only option.”

“What about you?” Annie asked, already aware of how Izzy felt.

“I wasn’t sure what we should do, but when I saw the look in her eyes when she talked about the baby, I knew I couldn’t ask her to give it up. It would have hurt her too badly. She means everything to me.”

“Tucker, you’re still avoiding a very important point.”

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