Page 79 of Finding Fate

Her hand moved down to the small bump that lay next to his side, and he realized that her thoughts had most likely gone to the same place his had.

“I wonder how everyone found out,” he murmured aloud, mostly talking to himself and not expecting an answer, especially not the answer Izzy was about to give him.

“Lisa.”

“What? How would Lisa have known?”

“She saw Jet and me talking in the parking lot before school this morning.”

“What were you and Jet saying? We never discuss it in public.”

Fighting the urge to cry, she rushed through her explanation, desperate for Tucker to understand. “I didn’t mean to. It just surprised me. When I felt it move, I was just so shocked. I couldn’t help it. I pressed my hand against my stomach, and I’m sure that’s how she saw. I must have scared Jet half to death. I’ve never seen him move so fast. I had to tell him what had happened. He thought I was in pain or something.”

She paused only for a breath and continued. “Then, Annie and I overheard Lisa telling people about it in the hall, and I’m betting she ran straight over to the counselor’s office instead of going to homeroom this morning. That’s the only way Ms. Lane could have found out so fast.

“I mean, that explains how other people knew about it by the time second period hit and not when I had to sit out at practice. Lisa had time to spread it around all morning.”

She finished talking then, her revelation of how the news spread so quickly complete, and waited for Tucker to react. When he stayed quiet, she lifted her head to look up at him. His deep brown eyes were staring down at her in surprise.

“You felt it move?” he finally whispered.

She nodded excitedly. How could she forget she hadn’t told him? Too much had happened today.

“I’m sorry, Tuck. I didn’t tell you earlier because I wanted to wait until we could talk about it alone. That way, we could get excited about it. It was so amazing. I actually felt our baby move, like tiny little kicks fluttering around inside me.”

He watched her hand move lovingly to the bump where their baby was, and felt a surge of anger and jealousy charge through his body, jealousy that she was able to feel so passionately about their child and anger for himself that he didn’t. When would he be able to share those same feelings of love for their baby with Izzy?

“Tuck, what’s the matter?”

He hadn’t wanted her to see his frustration, but he hadn’t been able to look away from where her hand was placed either.

“Should I tell her?”he questioned.Annie knew how he felt, and Jet had hinted that he knew as well. How much longer could he hide this from her anyway? But she’d already had such a hard day. Was it right to make her go through this, too? “I might as well get it over with. Better for her to have one horrible day than for me to drag her through this later.”

“Isabel, I need to tell you something.”

“What?” she asked in concern. She propped herself up on an elbow, smoothing out the crinkles on his brow with the fingertips of her other hand.

“No, don’t comfort me. I don’t deserve it,”Tucker thought, despising himself for what he needed to say. He took her hand in his to stop her and held it against his chest. “You’re going to want to hate me for this.”

“That’s ridiculous, Tuck. I could never hate you.”

“That’s why I said you were going to want to hate me for this.”

“Tucker, what is it?” she pressed. She was beginning to grow alarmed at how upset he was. Her news was supposed to be exciting. What had gone wrong?

He closed his eyes before he answered and took in a deep breath. “Isabel, I love you so much, but…”

“But? Oh, no, Lisa was right.”Her voice nearly cracked when she spoke. “Just say it, Tucker.” Better to hear him tell her flat out than wait for him to beat around the bush.

“I don’t know how to love the baby like you do. I don’t know if I can. I get so angry at myself. I should be able to feel something for my own child, but I don’t, not like you. I’m sorry, love. This isn’t how I imagined things for us to be.”

The fear of it was crushing, but knowing that it was true was almost too much to bear. The tears that evaded Isabel earlier that afternoon started to flow, and she wrapped herself tighter against the broad, tightly muscled chest of the guy that would always be the only one to have her heart.

She didn’t know why she clung to him so desperately when he had just confirmed her worst fear, even if she had only just realized it hours ago. He was her survival at this point, but apparently, she wasn’t his. Worst of all, now that the truth was out, things couldn’t continue the way they had been, but she was anything but ready to let go.

Tucker moved so that he could wrap his arms around her. His head lay against hers, and he whispered into her ear, “I’m so sorry, love. I never wanted to hurt you. I hate myself for this.”

“You… can’t…help…how you…feel,” she said, choking back sobs. “I…should’ve known…you’d never be…happy this way.”

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