Page 37 of Knocked up by the Mafia

I spread butter on the piping-hot bread, and it starts melting immediately.

Daniel’s hand has left my leg as he navigates his own food. For a few moments, there’s the general contentment that falls on a family when they enjoy their meal.

The stew is delicious. It has a thick gravy, lots of vegetables, and the garlic butter baby potatoes that go with it are to die for. The bread is the best part, though, and the staff has to bring out more.

As they finish eating, the other men leave, and more come in. Ronan surprisingly blesses their meal, too, before they begin to eat. It seems to be an important part of the meal. No one touches anything before he’s finished, and then, with a nod from him, they dig in.

Daniel sips his whiskey, an arm protectively around my shoulders. Ronan stays seated by us while the others eat and talk. I hear theRussian Girlmentioned a few times, but it doesn’t seem to be in a bad way, so I leave it alone.

“You know,” Ronan says with a mischievous grin, “Danny-Boy wasn’t always rough and tumble.”

Daniel shifts in his seat. “Leave it, Ronan. I don’t want to hear about our past.”

“But your future wife should know about your childhood and how you were scared of snails until you were fourteen.”

“Snails?” I perk up and look at Daniel, who looks embarrassed. I try to suppress my smile, but Robbie and Jarryd start laughing, and I giggle.

Daniel sighs and shakes his head. “And you wonder why I don’t talk to you more often.”

Ronan sips his whiskey. “What? It’s not as bad as Robbie…”

“No, Ronan!” Robbie says quickly.

“Aw, come on. It isn’t fun to only pick on one of my baby brothers. Natalia…”

“Please call me Nat,” I say quickly and lean forward. “And tell me everything.”

He smiles. “Nat, Robbie here went crab fishing alone when he was six. He got right stark naked and into the water; thought he was clever. That was until a medium-sized crab mistook his little peanut for crab food.”

I wince and try not to laugh. Daniel looks awkward and says, “Come on, Ronan, don’t embarrass the lads.”

“He can’t embarrass me,” Jarryd says confidently. “Everyone knows what I’m afraid of. I hate clowns.”

“Aye, you’re right,” Ronan concedes, then leans toward me conspiratorially. “Except he had a girlfriend when he was four.”

I see the blood drain from Jarryd’s face, and even Daniel smiles. “I remember,” he says confidently. “Mary.”

“Mary!” Robbie and Ronan roar the name, and a couple of cousins burst out laughing.

I look between them, confused. “Was she not nice or something?”

Ronan shakes with laughter. “She was a toad, but he was adamant she was his girlfriend, and he wanted to kiss her constantly. You should have seen the rashes he had. Everywhere.”

Jarryd blushes crimson, and I purse my lips. “Oh, dear. That couldn’t have been pleasant.”

“Despite his swollen lips, the poor wee lad would cry his heart out if he couldn’t kiss not-so-wee Mary.” They all roar with laughter again, and Ronan waves down the waitress. “Mol, get that photo of Jarryd. Let’s pass it around.”

I assume her name is Molly if he’s calling her Mol. She goes to the doorway to the stairs and takes down a photo. She wipes it with a rag from the side of the bar and hands it to Ronan. “You should be ashamed of rubbing this in.”

“It was his first love!” Ronan grins at her. “I have to remind him how love hurts. Never been another girl for him.”

He passes me the photo, and I look at a little boy in a diaper with a rash spread around his mouth, neck, arms, and front.

I can’t help it as I also laugh hard.

Chapter 22 - Daniel

Despite the awkward afternoon and evening with my brothers, I feel better knowing Nat is by my side again. I know what she means when she says she needs to use her own two hands to protect herself. I get it. I feel a little bad that she can’t sit back and relax and enjoy her pregnancy. I wish I could protect her on my own. But I can’t, and even though my brothers back me, I know there will be a time that I am not around, and she will need to take care of herself.

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