Page 135 of Go Find Less

It’s been a minute since I’ve seen Andrea, Mateo’s older sister and our former nanny, but three kids and fifteen years later, I wonder if she’s ever seen a wrinkle in the same way her father’s retained his eternal youth.

“Hey, sis,” Frannie calls as Andrea slides into the seat behind her, reaching forward to kiss Frannie on the head. Dad and I shake Mateo and José’s hand as they find their seats behind Piper and me, and José leans forward between us.

“I see you haven’t run away yet.”

“Why is everyone so convinced I’m going to run off screaming?” Piper asks with a laugh, hands half-raised. “Are there bodies in a closet I should know about?” I share a look with Mateo that’s more suggestive than anything, before he bursts out laughing and I smirk at Piper. Andrea reaches over and introduces herself, and I realize it’s probably the first time we’ve all been in a room together in a decade, save Freddy, who I’m trying to spot in the crowd filing into the stadium floor.

“There he is!” Paula nearly screams, pointing toward a figure half a foot taller than the girls on either side of him, and sure enough, it’s Fred, the navy cap pressing down on that mop of red hair in that way that’s not particularly flattering on anyone. “I can’t believe it!” She leans on Dad’s shoulder, and he gives her arm a pat. “Our baby is graduating college.” She gives a big sniff, and I can tell by the way she’s wiping at her nose she’s forgotten tissues.

I’m about to offer her my pocket square, because honestly, I’d rather have her snot on that than hear Dad complain about his jacket later, but Piper’s fishing something out of her purse and holding it out next to Paula’s head before I even get the chance.

Paula and my dad both look at the pack of tissues between them, and then back at Piper. Paula gives her a watery smile, taking a tissue and then offering it to Dad, who declines them. He glances at us over his shoulder one more time before returning to the ceremony in front of us.

I think he’s unsure of what to make of Piper Delmonico, and at this point, neither am I. But there’s one thing I do know about this girl - this woman - next to me, who finally seems a little more relaxed as she settles into her chair.

With every beat of my heart, every time she presses her lips to mine, I wish she hadn’t gone through the things that hurt her. But I can’t help but be thankful that the changes she went through, to make her into who she is now, led her to me.

Chapter 52

Piper

“Howdoesitfeelto be officially an adult?” Frannie asks her brother, yanking on one of the seemingly endless cords around his neck. He’s got one for pretty much every accolade a psych major can get, which is, apparently, a lot.

“Fred’s an adult when I’m rolling over in my grave,” Andrea shoots out, and then jumps in the picture with Frannie and her brother. Even though we’ve long since left the coliseum in the middle of campus, Paula forced Freddy to stay in his gown and accessories long enough to get pictures. Thirty minutes later, and we’re still sliding person after person into a variety of poses so that they can get every shot possible in the back room of one of the only nicer restaurants in Clifton, The Rise.

“Can we please be done now?” the center of attention asks, to which both his mother and sister respond “No!” Freddy gives a noticeable grumble that sounds an awful lot like the man standing behind me. I lean back against his chest, tilting my head to look at him.

“You ok?” His face is tighter than usual, almost pinched looking.

“Yeah,” he breathes, and I let my hand move back, searching for his. When I find it and give one of his fingers a squeeze, he seems to relax a bit. “Sorry. I just hate pictures.”

“You haven’t even been in any yet,” I reply, quirking a brow. He looks down at me with a look that could wither a pansy in perfect health.

“Yet.”

As if hearing our words, Paula’s voice calls “Alright, Andrea, you and Fitz trade places.” Andrea, who I might have become best friends with in about two heartbeats after seeing the Kindle stuffed in her crossbody, slides out from under Freddy’s arm.

Fitz’s brother isn’t quite as tall as him, and is a little bit more lean. His skin is pale in a way that reminds me of his sister, his mom, but he shares the same freckles as all of them. His long, red hair falls in soft waves around his face, and I wonder to myself how the psych major younger brother figured out how to style his hair before the appearances-and-aesthetics-matter Westfall.

The stark contrast between the three of them becomes apparent the second Fitz slides in where Andrea, José’s daughter, had been. His tan skin is shades darker than theirs, and while their eyes are green, they border on hazel. He’s bulkier and taller, and I can’t help but think what his mother must have looked like for him to get all of these beautiful traits, clearly the best of both his parents.

“Piper, you get in there for one!” Paula calls, breaking me out of my reverie. I laugh, shaking my head at the incredulous ask. “Come on, you’re part of the family now!”

Fitz’s body language tells me immediately he’s caught off guard by the phrase, but he holds an arm out for me as Frannie and Mateo chant together “One of us, one of us!” Chuckling, I sidle up next to Fitz, finding space under his arm and letting him drape across my shoulder. Paula takes about eight thousand pictures, and when we’re done, I look up at him from my cozy spot. He’s already looking down at me, and while the creases between his brows are there, there’s no other tension in his face like there had been when the pictures first started.

By the time we’re seated and have ordered drinks, I can tell that his social battery is all but zapped. He’s got one hand on my thigh and seems to be listening to a story his brother is telling, but I recognize that idle tapping with his thumb at this point. The only people that stayed for lunch were José’s family and Paula’s sister.

“So,” Chris says, all but cutting his youngest son off as he looks at Fitz and me. “How's that reunion planning coming? Only a few weeks now, right?” His tone is casual, but my hackles raise the second he speaks.

“It’s going well,” Fitz responds for both of us. “We should have a good group there. Piper’s roommate has been working on getting in contact with everyone.”

“And your roommate is…” He trails off, looking at me.

“Carla Montgomery.” He quirks a brow at Frannie, who’s seated on the other side of Fitz.

“Don’t we have a Montgomery on staff too?”

“Chloe,” Frannie deadpans. “She’s one of my best friends, Dad.”

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