Page 32 of Taken With You

“Maybe.” Dillon smiled as he said it, and I had a feeling he was trying to lighten the mood since things felt kind of heavy right then.

He was a good kid, a good man. And I had a feeling as he grew up, he would grow into an even better one.

I liked him. Cared about all the Connolly brothers. And even though I worked for them, they made me feel like I was a part of their family.

Not a bad deal.

“Okay, you’re off, right?” Ben asked as he came up and nodded at one of the customers before pulling a draft. “Go hang out with your girl. They’re all dancing in the corner, and I think the Connollys over there want you to play pool.”

“They just want me to kick their asses,” I said, winking.

“Don’t let Brendon hear you say that. He and Harmony still hold the record. I mean, it was only one tourney, but it’s still the record.”

“For now.”

“Yes, for now,” Aiden said as he came out with two plates of food in his hands. He set them down on the bar, nodded at Big Ben, and gestured for us to follow him.

“You know the only reason that Brendon and Harmony won that pool tournament is because Sienna and I weren’t there,” Aiden said, shaking his head.

I gave Dillon a look. He smirked, and then we both just shook our heads, holding back laughter. Oh, we knew why the two of them hadn’t been at that final pool tournament round. Aiden and Sienna had been doing something of their own. Not that we’d mention that. Especially when everybody could hear us, and Sienna could probably kick my ass.

Okay, there was no probably about it. She would kick my ass. And Meadow wouldn’t like that.

Meadow.

I looked over at her, and she smiled, the warmth in her eyes pulling me in.

Damn. I was falling for her. I knew I shouldn’t. It wasn’t safe. But I was pretty sure I had already fallen. I’d probably started at the wedding. Maybe even before that.

I shouldn’t have danced with her. Shouldn’t have done so much.

“Okay, come on over,” Cameron said from the corner. “Pool table’s ours for the next hour. Let’s play.” He twirled his finger in the air, and Violet rolled her eyes before going and kissing her man on the mouth.

He grinned down at her and gripped her ass, and I shielded Dillon’s eyes, even as the kid laughed.

“Hey. There are sweet, innocent eyes over here. Don’t scar him.”

“Innocent?” Dillon asked, and I glared down at him.

“Excuse me, my baby brother is a perfect, lily-white virgin,” Brendon shouted, and the tips of Dillon’s ears turned red.

Either the kid was embarrassed about his brothers yelling, or Dillon actually was a virgin. Considering that I had seen him with more than one girl over the time I’d known him, I had a feeling Dillon was no virgin. However, having your brothers discuss your sex life—or lack thereof—really loudly in the bar that you visited almost daily probably wasn’t the best thing in the world.

“Please, stop,” Dillon grumbled.

“Oh, be nice,” Harmony said, wrapping her arms around Dillon. “It’s kind of nice that he stays sweet and innocent. I mean, it’s tough to find that these days. Just know that you’re special to us. We love you.” She kissed him on the brow, and I saw the laughter in her eyes even as everyone else actually broke out in fits of giggles and cheers.

Dillon narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn’t say anything. Nobody could ever be mean to Harmony.

She was sneaky like that. I liked it.

Meadow slid to my side, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “They sure do love teasing him,” Meadow said, and I shrugged, even as I pulled her closer.

“Yeah, but he gives as much as he gets. It’s kind of nice having a family that makes fun of each other and yet will always be there for one another.”

“I know. Sometimes, I’m a little jealous. They’re just so good for each other. You know?” I nodded but didn’t look down at her. I knew her old man. And that guy would never be there for her. For anyone. He only cared about his club and himself. And not in that order.

I knew he didn’t give a damn about his little girl. Hadn’t before, and sure as hell didn’t now. At least for more than what she could do for him.