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Gabe glares at him. “You can’t deny it. She met Milo.”
“He’s not mine or…” He glances at the couches. “Can we sit and talk, please?”
They agree and between scotch and some stale chips, we tell them everything that’s happened, not only in the past few days, but since we came into Piper’s life. Finn confesses the stupid things he said in the chat room. I tell them how we were trying to get to know her while she was in Colorado with us—we’ve wanted more since then—but she left. We both understand why she needed closure.
Gabe looks at Seth and then at Jude. The two of them nod, and he sighs. “Fine. You can try, but there’s no guarantee. You’ll have to grovel and be—” he snaps his fingers as if he’s looking for a word.
“Swoony,” Jude finishes for him. “She’s going to need all the romance in the world if you want to make this work.”
“Where can we find her?”
“She’s still in Santa Barbara,” Seth says. “I’ll text you the address of the bar. The rest is up to you.”
I catch Gabe studying me. “What?” I ask.
“I know why she kept you away from us,” he says.
Jude glances at me and nods. “Because we would’ve convinced her that you’re perfect for her. I can see it too.”
Seth looks from Finn to me and asks, “Are you two together?”
“We’re a work in progress,” Finn answers, grabbing my hand.
“Figure it out before you get to Piper,” Gabe suggests. “It’ll be easier for her to understand why the two of you want her.”
“Thank you for giving us a hand,” I say.
“Treat her right, or we’ll kill you,” Jude says. “I might not be a badass agent, but no one hurts her.”
“The warning isn’t necessary,” Finn says. “We’ll make sure to treat her like our queen.”
But will she accept us?
We don’t know if she will, but no one can say we didn’t try.
ChapterFifty-Six
Finnegan
It takesus two days to prepare for our trip to Santa Barbara. While I’m in Seattle I meet with two of my brothers and Teddy. It’s not a big reunion. It’s more like a small gathering where I do my best not to freak out, and we promise to do it again when I’m ready.
They all understand that my reaction isn’t because I don’t want to get to know them, but I need to do it at a slow pace. One of them suggests I meet with my mother and my father. I refuse. Florence St. James wasn’t kind to Piper, and until I learn more about the woman who created me, I’d rather not have any contact with her.
Donovan St. James doesn’t seem to be like a present father. I’d rather think of Mason Bradley as the man who filled in the gaps while I grew up than meet with a man who’s not worth my time—after all, I have a father. Charles is all I need in my life.
Derek and I meet with the Bradleys before we fly out to California. They invite us to have dinner with the entire family, but Derek is the one who insists we have to go. He later tells me I’m not ready for the Deckers—more so when we don’t have Piper with us.
The night we arrive at what will be our temporary house, we’re ready to stay for at least six months. I hope it doesn’t take us that long to bring Piper home, but we’re prepared for every contingency.
“This is a bungalow with only one room,” I say when I drag the bags along the hallway.
Derek grins and wiggles his eyebrows. “A man can only hope, but if you prefer, I can stay on the couch.”
“Please don’t,” I say, almost begging him. “Can we…?”
“We have to start somewhere,” he says, walking close to me. Our feet almost touch and he leans in to kiss me.
He kisses me.
