Shanna nodded and hugged him tighter.
“You might want to work on your inside voice, Marco.” I watched them pass her around like a collection plate and couldn’t help but smile. I’m an idiot. She’s already a part of the family. My mother just doesn’t know it yet.
My moment of levity vanished with each step I took toward the waiting vehicles. Gabe had ordered four SUVs for the trip to the airport. While I appreciated the security, two decoys and ten armed men were a bit much.
I slid into the back seat of the nearest vehicle and waited while my family said their goodbyes, laughed, slapped backs, hugged, and started the process over again. Times like these always left me with an empty feeling, like I’d never quite fit in.
Shanna joined me in the second SUV. “Are you okay?”
I rested my arm across the back of the seat, the picture of calm, cool, and collected. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
She eyed me, clearly not buying my ruse. “You didn’t participate in the hug fest back there.”
“All of them at once is a lot to handle.” I wanted to hold her hand, to tell her I understood her fears, and I’d protect her with my life. However, when I met her eyes, my wants didn’t matter anymore. “Are you okay?”
She hitched a shoulder. “Besides my mom, Maggie’s my only family. After spending time with yours, I’m homesick—but for a home I’ve never had.”
I pulled her to my side and kissed the top of her head. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
She snuggled closer. “An only child wanting a family, and one of six brothers, feeling like an only child?”
Her words hit me right in the feels. “You scare the shit out of me sometimes.”
“How’s that possible?” Shanna tensed and pulled back to meet my gaze. “I didn’t think anything scared you.”
I huffed out a humorless laugh. “Sweetheart, you’re the first person I’ve ever met to see me and not the bullshit that comes with being a Marchionni.”
“I see that too.” She frowned. “You’re not that hard to get to know. All someone has to do is pay attention.”
Once again, she stole my breath. “You’d be surprised how few people have bothered.”