If you weren’t quick enough, food could be snatched right out from under you. Not that there wasn’t plenty of food. The table was practically groaning. But Tilly’s brothers were large men and from the look of them, they all worked hard.
Simon seemed to be the most easy-going. But the other three were not going to be easy to win over. Asher had barely said anything, Eli pretty much ignored him, and Dare just sat there glaring at him.
But he would win them over. Eventually.
He noticed that Tilly just sat back while the feeding frenzy erupted. He leaned over so she could hear him.
“Did you ever get to eat as a child?”
She grinned. “After Dare jabbed my hand with his fork one time, Rosa started to dish me up a plate before she put everything out.” She chewed her lip, looking around. “If you hold your plate out, I’ll dish some food out for you.”
He watched the forks flying around wildly as her brothers claimed their food. He shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll wait.”
When things quieted down and all of the men in her family were eating, Dylan started to dish up some food, filling Tilly’s plate first. Around him, things went quiet, but he ignored everyone watching him.
“Is that enough potatoes, a mhuirnín?” he asked.
“Yes, thanks.”
Dylan filled his own plate with what was left. How these guys weren’t overweight, he didn’t know.
There was silence for a long moment as they all ate. Then Simon sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, Dylan, how long have you been dating our sister?”
Dylan was surprised the question had come from Simon and not one of the others. “I’ve known Tilly was the one for me almost since they day I first met her. Which was about two years ago. It took me a while to work up the courage to ask her out, though.”
“What do you do for a living?” Eli asked.
“I manage a nightclub,” he replied.
“So you must have lots of young girls throwing themselves at you,” Dare pounced, sensing weakness.
“Surprisingly few,” Dylan said. “And I only have eyes for Tilly.”
She smiled over at him.
Dare seemed unimpressed by that answer.
“How do you intend to support my daughter on a nightclub manager’s salary?” her father asked.
“Daddy, that’s so old-fashioned,” Tilly said. “I can support myself.”
“Waitressing,” Dare said derisively.
“There’s nothing wrong with waitressing for a living,” Simon interjected.
“You were a straight-A student,” Eli said quietly. “You were going places.”
“Until you met that asshole, Javier,” Dare added.
Dylan had known Tilly was smart, but he hadn’t realized how smart.
“Do you know that Tilly was valedictorian?” her father said. “She had her pick of colleges.”
“She threw it all away for what she thought was love,” Dare snarled.
Tilly winced beside him. It was okay if her brothers wanted to pick at him, at what he did for a living, but he wouldn’t allow them to put Tilly down.
“Javier ruined her life,” her father said. “Because of him, she hardly ever comes home. She’s never made anything of herself.”