I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, if you celebrate. I know it was a lot different than what we all would have chosen, but it helps me to remember that we're making sacrifices now so that when we can all be together again, there won't be anybody missing from our tables.
Sending you all my love xo
Caught In A Riptide
Chapter Twenty-six
Arlo
Landing in the hospital for almost three weeks was definitely not in my senior year plan.
To be fair, neither was knocking up Lakely and second-guessing my lifelong plan to go to Stanford and become a pro soccer player, but…
Shit happens, I guess, and I wouldn't change any of it. Except maybe the almost dying part. Definitely the almost dying part.
Between working part-time for Dad, studying like crazy, rebuilding my fitness level and keeping up with practice, and making sure Lakely is good and we're trucking along with baby prep…
Not much goes how I thought it would.
We celebrate Aunt Everly's birthday right after Christmas, and then Aunt Rosalie's and Uncle Benjamin's a couple days apart a few weeks later.
Since she's desperately trying not to miss too much school before the twins are born, Lakely carries on going to classes despite Mom's assurance that she's happy to find her a tutor to finish the year out at home. Then, at the start of February, she starts going to a 'mom and me' group to meet other moms. The first couple of sessions are rough 'cause she's the youngest one there and feels judged, but when she meets me at the apartment above Burger Co. after her third session, a bright smile on her face and some woman's phone number scribbled on a piece of paper clutched tight in her hand, I can't help but laugh at her excitement.
"You look happy," I point out, swiping her favorite cushion from the chair to stuff it behind her back as she sits heavily on the couch.
Tugging me down for a kiss by the towel draped around my shoulders after my shower, she nods. "I had a great time. This new mom came today. She's seventeen, too, and she's having twins! Can you believe that?"
Wait, what?
"Are you kiddin'?" I laugh, flopping down on the couch beside her and pulling her feet up onto my lap. Dad used to rub Mom's feet all the time when she was pregnant with the sixers, and Lakely loves it, too. She doesn't answer for a couple minutes as I get started with the balls of her feet, working my way down into the arch.
"I know, right? What are the chances? She doesn't live here in town, but this was the nearest group she could get into."
"That's crazy, Lakers."
"I know," she breathes, relaxing back into the cushions and humming when I hit a good spot. "Her name's June. She's due a few weeks after me."
"Baby buddies," I say with a grin, watching her smile spreading wider.
"Yeah. It's nice to have someone that gets what I'm going through, you know? The other moms...they're all older with careers and husbands and houses. June lives with her boyfriend and she's trying to get through the last few months of high school just like me."
"That's awesome. I'm glad you found someone who really gets it."
Releasing a big sigh, she tilts her head to face me better, the softness in her butterscotch eyes melting me. She's too freaking adorable, all baby belly and sleepy smiles as she asks how my day was.
"Good, I guess. Coach is letting me start this week."
She cocks an eyebrow. "Do you think you're ready for that?"
"I need to be, Lakers." My stomach rolls with a mixture of nerves and excitement. "We've only got this one game left and it's a huge deal. If we win this, we're in the Championships. I'm lucky Coach is even considering letting me start after I missed so many games."
"Arlo, you were—"
"In hospital, I know. I missed them for a good reason," I soothe, squeezing her foot with a wry grin. "But it doesn't change the fact that if it were anybody else, he'd probably be benching them for the big game. That's just the way it is."
Lakely huffs. "It's dumb. And I'm glad you're excited to play, but I just want you to take it easy." Her lip disappears between her teeth. "I just got you. I don't want to lose you because you go crazy playing soccer."
Shifting around until I've got her wedged between me and the back of the couch, my ass hanging off because it's nowhere near wide enough for both of us to lay like this, I stroke her cheek with the tips of my fingers and slide them back into her hair, watching as a delicious, rosy blush spreads over her face and down her chest.
Oh, it's so me. That blush…
I don't know why I love it so much that it's mine, that it's me who brings it out, but man...it's a rush.
I just can't believe I didn't put the clues together sooner.
"I'll be careful, okay?" I murmur, brushing our noses together. "If I feel like I need to sit out, I'll sit out."
"You promise?" she whispers, sneaking her fingers into my hair at my nape.
"I promise."
She sees the conviction in my eyes, I guess, because she drops it then, shifting the topic of conversation to our appointment with Uncle Dale tomorrow.
"Your mom says it might be time for us to move over to the house," Lakely admits, her brows furrowed as she gnaws on her lip.
Honestly, I'm torn on this one, but when the image of her going into labor when I'm not home pops into my head, I realize I'm not all that undecided after all.
"I think she's right, Lakers. Mom's home, like, eighty percent of the time, and if she's not there, Dad is."
It's that, the great example they've set, which is the main reason I'm still not sure whether I'll be signing with Stanford next week or the University of South Florida.
I've been offered scholarships at both, but only one of them keeps me on the same side of the country as the support system we'll need when these babies get here next month.
Running my palm over Lakely's bump, sliding it under her shirt so I can feel her skin as the twins nudge at me, I feel the now familiar tension creeping up my spine. This decision won't make itself, but we've talked it to death, and honestly, I kind of wish I could be a little kid again just for one day so my parents could make this one for me.
On one hand, I know if we went to California, to my dream school, Stanford, my family would still be supportive. They take it in turns to go out and see Finley play in Tallahassee so that he always has somebody in the stands cheering for him. Mom and Dad have already promised they'd do the same for me, even though it would involve flying instead of just driving. They'd want to see the twins a bunch as well so there'd be visits for that, too. My scholarship means we'd save a ton of money on tuition and all that stuff, so Lakely and I could get a little apartment for us and the twins, or Aunt Rosalie said she'd block off a suite at the nearest hotel and we could stay there for a reduced rate, so we'd still have rent to pay but not so much of the crazy responsibility to deal right right off the bat.
Then there's USF down in Tampa, where the sixers were born. It's still a few hours away from Jackson Bay, but Mom could come stay the night sometimes, she and Dad could easily bring the sixers down on a Friday and take them home on Sunday like they used to bring me, Jaxson, and Finley to see the sixers in the hospital. The Tampa hotel we used to stay at is still there, so we could take the suite we used back then and have plenty of room for visitors.
Lakely's soft sigh and her fingers stroking my jaw pull me out of my head. "What are you thinking?"
"About college. Stanford, USF, you, the twins, where we'll live…" I blow out a big breath, twisting a little so I can rest my head on her shoulder. "All the fun stuff."
She snorts. "Oh, yeah. Sounds real fun. Have you made any decisions?"
"You know I'm not gonna make any decisions without including you."
I learned my lesson after ordering two cribs as a surprise, except I picked the wrong ones and Lakely was distraught that I might have spoiled 'the vibe' she and Mom have planned for the nursery. Luckily, she actually loves them now they're up, but it was a close call.
"Arlo, you know my opinion," she reminds me, running her fingers through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp with her nails, and I do know. She says the same thing every time I ask her.
"You don't want to get in the way of my dream," I whisper, my voice unexpectedly thick because this girl overwhelms me with the trust she puts in me sometimes. "I don't want to take you away from everything, everyone."
"They'll visit, and we'll visit, too, when we can. And we won't be totally alone."
I smirk into her shoulder. "Right, we'll have Jake and Heidi."
Our childhood plan isn't coming to fruition quite the way we thought it would, but if we pack up and move to California, Jake and Heidi will be there. Jake's got a soccer scholarship of his own, so for the first time since middle school, we'll be on the same team. Heidi is going to study journalism, so she'll be around, too. It's another check in the 'pros' box for Stanford.
Another thing to add to the long list of many things that make this choice so impossible.
~ oOo ~
"Liam, get over here!" I yell, panting like crazy as I fly down the wing toward the other team's number ten. Cresswell. He's always been a dick, which is why I grin despite my burning legs and protesting lungs when I manage to snatch the ball from him and send it neatly back toward the other end of the pitch. Shooting a raised-eyebrow scowl at our defense who should have dealt with that themselves, I'm soon back in the zone, in my preferred area, as Newton crosses the ball to me so I can put it safely in the top-right corner of the net.
The crowd goes wild, as usual, my name chanted throughout the stands as my teammates almost crush me in their excitement.
Ten seconds later, the whistle blows, and the cheers get impossibly louder.
Three-two to the Bay High Dolphins.
We did it. We fucking did it!
"We're going to the Championships!" Coach roars, joining in the crazy bundle with his red face and uncharacteristically wide smile.
On his way over to his family, Liam slaps me on the back and promises to come find me in a bit. Grabbing Watson on his way past me, I plant a kiss right in the center of his forehead and tell him he'd better be following me to college, wherever I land next year, because I want him on my team so we can go all the way to the Championships there, too. He grins and nods, and then I lose him to his new girlfriend so she can fawn all over him.
Which reminds me…
I find Lakely in her usual spot with Heidi, Demetri, and Tyler; Charlotte's still down with the cheer squad.
"You did it!" Lakely squeals when I get close enough, the twins sort of squished between us as she throws her arms around me and her eyes suddenly start pouring tears even though she's laughing. "Ignore this," she sniffs, waving at her damp cheeks split in a wide smile. "I'm so proud of you! You're going to win this thing and finish high school on top, just like you always wanted."
Catching her lips in a kiss, for maybe the first time ever, I don't notice the crowd cheering or the flags with my name and number on them. I don't care that my family is probably on their way to congratulate me, or that Coach is treating the whole team to a cheat meal at Burger Co. thanks to our win.
All I care about is this girl right here, the faint scent of her citrus shampoo fogging my brain and the taste of her newest craving on my tongue.
Twizzlers, man. They've never tasted so good.
"Arlo, dude, that was so cool!"
Pulling away with a soft, breathy laugh, Lakely beams at me as Mackenzie and Asher start pummelling me with a play-by-play of a game I was part of, then the rest of the sixers arrive along with our parents, grandparents, a bunch of our aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I'm just…
I'm more torn than ever on where I should go to school.
~ oOo ~
The entire week and a half leading up to the Championship game, I'm a ball of focused energy.
National Signing Day is six days after, so I've pushed it from my mind and I'll focus on it once I'm past the first hurdle.
We all head out to the halfway point between Jaxson's school and Finley's to celebrate their twentieth birthday, and Finley surprises everyone by dropping down on one knee to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Haley. She says 'yes,' of course, and then we have a whole new reason to celebrate because my big brother is getting married.
When we get back to the Bay, I throw myself into training, honing every skill I have at my disposal and spending more time at the pitch than I do at home. Thankfully, Lakely finally gives in and moves in with me and my family, so I don't have to worry that she's home alone while I'm putting my all into the most important game I've played so far.
My focus all goes to shit when we go see Uncle Dale the day before the Championship game and he pulls a face I haven't seen before.
"What? What's wrong?" I ask, scooting forward on my chair and shooting Mom a glance. She's had enough of these sonograms, she should know what she's looking at, but she's just frowning a little, leaning in closer to the screen as Uncle Dale moves the scanner thing around on Lakely's belly.
"Nothing's wrong, son, take a breath," Uncle Dale says calmly. "It looks like Baby B here has a little less fluid than last time. I'd like to keep an eye on it, so we'll schedule you to come back for weekly check-ups until you deliver instead of every other week."
Nerves gnaw at my gut. "Do we need to be worried? I mean, shouldn't they both have a ton of goo to float around in?"
Lakely and Mom snort, apparently both a lot calmer than I am. "It's not goo, Arlo," Mom laughs, ruffling my hair like I'm seven, not seventeen.
"You know what I mean. But they're okay? Both of them?"
Uncle Dale twists on his stool, offering me a grin that puts me at ease a little.
I mean, I'd be more at ease if I hadn't seen him and Aunt Everly getting awfully close to some other dude at her birthday party, but that's what I get for sneaking upstairs to use the other bathroom, I guess.
"They both look just fine. Look."
I unclench as he shows us our girls up close; their tiny noses, itty bitty fingers and toes, and their hearts rushing away like little hummingbirds'. When he flips a switch and the room fills with the sound of their hearts beating together, I'm not sure if I feel more or less confident. Those heartbeats are a stark reminder that the grainy images on the screen aren't just grainy images.
They're real babies. Our babies, I think as I twist my fingers around Lakely's and muster a small smile.
"Six weeks," she murmurs, shaking her head in wonder. "Six more weeks, and they'll be here."
"If not sooner," Uncle Dale chuckles, and what the fuck is that all about?
Sooner?
"Nope, my girls are good. They're gonna stay put and give us six more weeks to chill the hell out and get everything prepared," I say firmly, nodding my head for good measure. Lakely's eyes twinkle with amusement, but Uncle Dale and Mom aren't as restrained.
They crack the fuck up.
~ oOo ~
When the day of the big game arrives, Valentine's Day, I wake up to the sixers leaping all over my bed and Lakely hovering in the doorway with a big glass of orange juice, two bagels, and a small, wry smile.
"They wanted to help wake you up," she offers once I've kicked the kids out and promised to be down soon. Perching on the side of the bed, she puts the juice and bagels on the nightstand before gently tugging me upright for a kiss.
"Mornin' breath," I grunt, grinning against her lips when she mumbles, "Don't care."
All right, then.
When we're both breathless and flushed, I help her get comfy beside me so we can share breakfast, my stomach churning before I even take a bite. "I'm nervous," I blurt, scrunching my eyes shut as I blow out a big breath. "Fuck, I didn't mean to say that. But it's true. What if I fuck this all up today?"
Lakely taps my cheek until I open my eyes, her palm curved around my jaw as she smiles sympathetically and sighs. "I wondered when this was going to happen. You haven't had a freak-out yet. You're overdue."
"I don't want to freak out. I can't afford to. The game is in...shit, six hours. I don't have time to freak out about it, Lakers."
"You're going to be amazing, Arlo, just like always."
My lips twitch toward a smile. "Flattery will get you everywhere, baby."
Lakely snorts, patting her big ol' belly. "I think it's a little late to be worrying about that. But seriously, Arlo, you've been training for this for literally years. Coach Clapp thinks you can do it, your teammates think you can, but more importantly, I believe in you. Even if you don't win—"
I gently slap a hand over her mouth, pursing my lips when her eyebrows arch. "Blasphemy. I'm allowed to freak out, but you're not allowed to put that out into the universe."
I can feel her grin spreading under my palm. With a roll of my eyes and a smile I can't stifle, I lower my hand and drop my head back against the headboard.
"You're going to be amazing, no matter what the score sheet says when that final whistle blows. Okay?"
Horseshit. If we get an 'L' today, I'm hanging up my kit. "Okay."
Nerves still flutter in my stomach, and I know this isn't going to be the last moment of doubt I have today, but as Lakely tears off a big bit of bagel and stuffs it in my mouth, giggling when I can't stop laughing and spray crumbs all over my bed, I know I'm just lucky as hell to have her here to take my mind off it.
~ oOo ~
Six hours later, there's no taking my mind off it.
In the locker room, surrounded by my teammates in Dolphins blue, all of our faces set with determination and confidence, I can't think about Lakely or the twins or my family or the fact that in just four days I have to make a massive, life-altering decision.
All I can think about is the game I'm about to play, the trophy at the end. We all got a good look at it earlier, and I want Bay High engraved on that thing stat. It's been years since we brought it home. But this is our year.
I can feel it in my bones, as Nanny Jude would say.
That trophy is ours.
"All right, you lot!" Coach booms, strolling into the locker room with the same fierce determination we're all wearing. "What are we gonna do?"
"Whoop Seminole butt!" we call back as one. Excitement bubbles up and takes over every part of my body.
"What else are we gonna do?"
"Bring home the trophy!"
Coach nods, stepping up onto his stool so he can see all of us. We stare back, some of us antsy and bouncing on our feet, some of us, like me, coiled like snakes, ready to go swallow our opponents whole so we can steal the glory of one last 'W' for ourselves. Coach's gaze lands on me last, and I have a flashback of playing the Seminoles earlier in the season, back when I'd only just found out that Lakely was pregnant.
So much has changed since then. My life...it's completely different. My goals for the future aren't as cut and dry.
But one thing has remained the same throughout.
My drive to win.
"Bring it home, son," Coach grunts.
Dipping my head in a nod, I pull in a deep breath and blow it out again as the warning buzzer sounds through the speakers.
It's time.
For the last time, we pile in, hands together as we look around at guys we've spent more time with than our families this year. These guys, Watson and Newton and Carter and Liam and all the others, they're family, too.
I'll miss them. I'll miss the camaraderie we have, goofing around in the gym and giving Coach shit.
Next year, I'll be playing with a different team, a different set of guys. I think this is the first time I've really thought about that, my head too full of Lakely and the twins. I feel like a big baby getting kind of emotional about it, but it actually really fucking sucks.
"Let's gooooo…"
For the last time, we haul in a big breath and yell the words together. "Go Dolphins!"
My heart hammers my ribs as we make our way out onto the field. I have Watson on my right, Coach on my left, and Liam right behind me. He's starting today, the one request I made of Coach. He doesn't wholly trust Liam, but it's our last game together. Next year, Liam will be in Tallahassee and I'll be too far away to yell at him to get his ass in gear so I can cross the ball to him.
I've had a knotted stomach all freaking day, but when we walk out into the Gators' stadium, the new home of the Championships, and I spot Brody in his suit with the guys in charge, I can't help but smile just a bit. It's shaky, but it's there.
"Go get 'em, soccer stud," he teases as we jog past him, clapping me on the shoulder.
I'll never live that nickname down.
But when we line up to have our before-game picture with our sworn rivals, the Seminoles, I spot my family and friends in the crowd and for a couple of minutes, all my stress melts into the grass under my feet.
My whole family takes up a huge chunk of space, but it's the front row my eyes are drawn to. The sixers catch me looking and spin around so they can show off their 'Cullen' shirts. I get a little mushy when Lakely blows me a kiss, her cheeks flaming red, and cups her belly as she twists to show off the wording on hers.
Baby Momma
13
My baby momma, wearing my number.
When she turns back, she's grimacing like she's worried I won't like it, but my wide grin must comfort her because a slow smile spreads across her face.
Before I know it, Coach is dragging me to center field along with the ref, the Seminole captain, and coach.
Let's go.
Plastering a cocky smirk on my face, I shove down the boyish giddiness bubbling up in my stomach. I'm playing in the Gators stadium! Part of getting a win is convincing the other team they're going home with a loss.
Channelling every piece of advice Brody's given me recently, I keep a cool head and call 'tails' for the coin toss. We win, so we get to start with the ball, and as the ref sets it in front of me before blowing the whistle to start the most important game of my life so far, I push every other thing from my mind.
It's game time.
Massive hugs to each and every one of you, and special hugs to annaharding, Maplestyle, and hotteaforme. I couldn't do all this without you *mwah*