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“Girl, I’ve been hinting at marriage for years. You should be glad to skip the dance.”
“Ha, want to trade places? I don’t want any of it.”
“I can’t say I agree with the decision to force you. In fact, I was so enraged, I was going to come over and break you out. I grabbed my keys to head here to give Shane a piece of my mind and drive you to wherever you wanted to go. Of course, that got my ass paddled…”
“Wait, what?” Frankie wasn’t sure how to process all of what had just tumbled out of the redhead’s mouth.
“Brad told me Shane spanked you.”
“Yeah, but… I…”
“Don’t be embarrassed. With alpha males like these two, it’s bound to happen. Anyway, after he paddled me, he told me how Shane was marrying you to protect you. Make you a SEAL wife, get you a military ID and benefits. You’ll be part of the sisterhood. How marrying him might save your life. And yo, I get it, like, you totally don’t want to get married to someone you don’t know or love, but I’ve known Shane for over a decade. He’s a good man. I’ve trusted him with my life, and so has Brad. Hehas a good heart and a good moral compass. If you learn to trust him, it might be easier on you.”
“Trust comes with time.”
“Yes, and I know you haven’t had much of that.”
“No, I haven’t. I haven’t had time to get to know him. I haven’t had time to grieve. I haven’t had time to think. I feel as if everything was taken from me…” Her words caught in her throat.
“Like your family?”
“Like my entire fucking world!” Tears filled her eyes—not tears of sadness but of frustration, anger, and emptiness. “They all left without a chance to say goodbye, and part of me is afraid to go on, to live my life without them. I don’t know how to because, maybe secretly, I don’t know who I am without them. If I’m not a Lombardo, who am I?”
“You are Francesca Elena O’Brien, daughter of one of the richest and most powerful crime bosses in America and wife of Shane Conor O’Brien, the new head of the O’Brien family,” Shane said, coming up to them.
“Shane!” Frankie hissed. How could he so casually call her father a crime boss in front of people she didn’t know?
“It’s okay, Frankie. We know who both of your parents were. The crimes of the father don’t carry over to their children. I’ve never believed that,” Mak said.
“My father was a good man. A great man!” she defended.
“I’m sure he was.”
“And I am so much more than just a wife or a daughter!”
“Amen, sista!” Mak said. “You are way more than a label anyone can put on you.”
“What are you all talking about?” Brad came back in after walking Father Thomas to his car.
“Nothing!” Frankie was quick to answer. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Okay…” He looked at each person. “Then how about we have some food?”
“Why don’t you go on in? We’ll be right there,” Shane said. Reaching out, he placed a hand on Frankie’s shoulder. After Mak and Brad were out of sight, Shane tipped Frankie’s face up.
“Mrs. O’Brien, I appreciate you not throwing a fit during the exchange of vows,” he started, then lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss before continuing. “But, little girl, we were talking about you a minute ago, and you are far from nothing. You are everything. Understand?”
She didn’t understand.
How could she be everything?
Let alone everything to a man she had only met yesterday.
She told him as much as she walked away from him into the dining room.
CHAPTER 8
Shane
