The Very Naughty List

43. Nick

43

NICK

I’m nearly vibrating, ready to snap this motherfucker in half if he says another word to, or even about , Hailey. It takes everything I have, every last thread of self-restraint, for me not to knock him down where he stands.

Dylan blinks, clearly a bit cowed by the combined force of our anger. His face shifts color, the drunken flush replaced by a sickly pallor that makes him look even more like the weasel he’s always been. But then he puffs out his chest, affixing a smug smirk to his face as he glances back at Hailey.

“You really think these three cavemen are your best option?” he asks, snorting a laugh. “You really think they can protect you? I’m going to absolutely ruin your family, Hailey. Their diner is toast. I’ll make sure that The Griddle House is closed up within the month, and your family will have you to thank for it.”

Sebastian makes a noise in his throat. “Fuck it,” he grunts, his hands curling into fists.

But before he can take a swing at Dylan, I’m already moving, my body following the impulse before I’m even consciously aware of having it. My fist draws back as I take a step toward Dylan, then land a punch squarely on his jaw.

Dylan reels backward from the blow as he tries to steady himself on his feet. If it weren’t for the people that he stumbles into, grabbing on to for support, he’d probably go down like a sack of potatoes. There’s a ripple through the crowd as the townspeople around us realize what’s happening, and Dylan wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he straightens, glaring at me.

I can tell that he’s both scared and pissed off, just like a cornered animal, and I can’t help the primal feeling of satisfaction that rushes through me.

Good .

Maybe now he’ll think twice before talking shit about Hailey.

“You’re going to regret that,” Dylan hisses like a petulant child. “I’ll take you down too. I’ll use every bit of my family’s influence to ruin you and destroy your career at the fire department.” He tugs at his jacket, glaring at me. “My parents make a sizable donation to the fire department. You can be sure that you’ll never become fire chief now. Hell, you’ll be lucky if anyone lets you even clean the toilets at the station after this stunt.”

Fucking asshole .

Blood rushes in my ears as I step forward again, grabbing Dylan by the throat to pull his face to mine.

“You’re nothing but a shit stain and a bully, hiding behind your money and threatening people by abusing your status. Without your parents’ resources, you’d have nothing. You already lost the best thing you ever had—and trust me, you’re never getting Hailey back. So I don’t give a fuck what you threaten to do to me. You can’t use blackmail to get your way this time.”

Dylan shoves at my arm, his eyes a bit wild, and I release my grip on his throat—only because I’m afraid I won’t be able to fight down the urge to squeeze much longer. As soon as I’m no longer touching him, he seems to regain some of his bluster, letting out a derisive laugh as he lifts his chin.

“I would never stoop to blackmail. My family just uses the connections they have, and unlike you, people in this town actually respect me.”

“Well now, I respect the Coopers.” A gruff voice from the crowd catches my attention. “They’ve always done right by me. And I respect the Bennetts too.”

I glance around to realize that we’ve drawn an audience. Everyone at the Christmas Eve Bash seems to be focused on us. The man who spoke—Jasper Williams—steps forward, giving me a little nod before glaring at Dylan.

“ You’re the rotten part of this town, Dylan Montgomery. You and your corrupt parents have done nothing but hurt people and their businesses here.” Jasper’s white hair sticks out from beneath his winter hat, his breath clouding the air in front of his face as he shakes his head. “And as for blackmail, I don’t know what else to call the awful terms of the business deal your family pushed me into—except for extortion, maybe.”

I rock back on my heels a little, surprised as hell to hear someone from this town actually stand up to Dylan or his family. It’s been an open secret in Chestnut Hill for years that they’ve been taking advantage of small businesses and family-run operations, abusing their wealth and power. But no one ever stood up to them or confronted them about it, because they’d make sure to pull strings and punish anyone who tried.

“He’s right—they’re all right.” Meredith Jenson, a woman with thick brown hair and a straight nose, narrows her eyes at Dylan while coming to stand beside Hailey. “My father went into business with you, and then you and your parents snuck all sorts of shady terms into the contract that cost him his antique shop. You preyed on an old man’s livelihood just to line your own pockets even more.”

“They did that to us too!” someone else shouts from the crowd. “Put my family through hell!”

I glance at Reid and Sebastian, who both look as surprised as I am at this sudden outpouring of support. The murmurs rising up from the crowd grow louder as several more people step forward to reveal that they too have had to endure Dylan’s manipulation and abuses of power over them and their family businesses.

Hailey isn’t alone. Her family isn’t alone.

Dylan and his parents have tried to take advantage of almost everyone here, abusing their power in Chestnut Hill and threatening people to stay quiet about it so that they would feel like they were in a vulnerable position against the Montgomerys.

Within moments, the amassed crowd begins to turn on Dylan and his parents, finding courage in their collective strength and calling them out for what they’ve done. Hailey’s parents come to stand with us, and Mr. Bennett speaks out in a sterner voice than I’ve ever heard him use before.

“You’ve bullied this whole town with your family’s money for a long time. The way that you engage in business practices is shady at best, and illegal at worst. And now you’re trying to blackmail my daughter simply because you think you can.” He gestures to the people gathered around us—people he’s known for his whole life, neighbors, patrons of their diner, and friends. “Well, I have news for you: you can’t . We’re done letting you get away with that kind of nonsense.”

A savage smile spreads across my face as I watch Dylan flounder in the face of so many people all confronting him at once.

“Oh, please.” He scoffs, his eyes darting from side to side. “The work that my family does here is more than this town deserves. You are all lucky to have my family’s money propping up your businesses. You’d have nothing without our investments.” He gestures to Meredith. “Your father’s antique shop failed because he couldn’t turn a profit. Simple as that.”

“That’s not true!” Meredith shoots back, clearly undaunted. “And I can prove it. I still have all the threatening messages you sent him.”

Reid snorts a laugh from beside me. “Looks like you aren’t very good at covering your tracks, Dylan. You’re not a good man, or a good boyfriend, and it would seem that you don’t even make a good liar.”

The noise of the crowd swells as everyone around us starts to talk about the threatening messages, rewritten leases, and exploitative contracts that the Montgomerys forced on them. Dylan holds up his hands, trying to speak over their words, to defend himself again—but his voice is drowned out by the wave of condemnation rushing his way.

His cheeks flush, and he glances around, clearly looking for some support. His parents don’t seem to be here tonight, but I catch sight of Brielle standing a short distance away. He gestures sharply for her to come stand beside him, but Brielle doesn’t move.

Maybe Hailey’s backstabbing ex-best friend has finally realized that Dylan hasn’t been loyal to her either, and she isn’t willing to let her reputation tank right alongside his.

For an awkward few seconds, Dylan stands like a deer in headlights amidst the crowd, stuttering more useless words to try to defend himself against their accusations—but then he seems to shrink in on himself, turning and slinking away into the crisp winter night.

The cheer that goes up as he leaves the town square makes me grin broadly.

Good fucking riddance, you asshole .

I turn and glance at Hailey, who seems stunned as she stares after Dylan.

“You okay?” I reach out to brush my fingers over her cheek.

“Yeah, I… I am. I just can’t believe everyone came to my defense like that.” She licks her lips, her green eyes shining as she meets my gaze.

“I can,” I tell her softly. “You’re worth sticking up for, Hailey Bennett. And you’re not the only one Dylan took advantage of. You were the lightning rod—the one who gave all of these people the courage to stand up to him too.”

I lean down, unable to resist the urge to press my lips to hers. When Sebastian and Reid pull her into their arms to kiss her too, she kisses them back without hesitation, making pride swell in my chest.

That’s our girl .

I’m vaguely aware of Hailey’s parents talking to several of the people who confronted Dylan, all of them making plans to form a coalition to stand up to him and his family, fighting back against their ruthless business practices, and I make a mental note to see what my brothers and I can do to help.

The tension in the air starts to dissipate as someone cranks up the holiday music playing from the speakers arrayed around the area. We’re in the middle of the town square, with strands of colorful Christmas lights strung above our heads and a giant tree waiting to be lit.

This is supposed to be a party, a festive event of holiday cheer and merriment, and now that Dylan is gone, it’s definitely time to get the party started.

A short while later, Pippa and Lucas head over with their parents to unwrap the trays of Christmas cookies and cocoa that they’ve brought, courtesy of the family’s diner. Drinks start to flow, and people start to dance near the towering, unlit tree. Snow begins to fall gently, filling the air with glittering tufts of white.

Hailey holds out her hand to catch a few snowflakes, looking enchanted, and when I step closer to her, she shoots me a beaming smile.

“Now do you believe in the magic of Christmas?” she asks.

I chuckle, inclining my head. “I’m starting to.”

She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, pressing her hand to my chest. “I can’t believe that you did that.”

“Did what?”

“You punched Dylan in the face!”

Sebastian chuckles, stepping up beside us. “You’d better believe it, shortcake.” He winks. “Guess I’m not the only bad boy in Chestnut Hill. Glad to see someone else taking the title for a change.”

Hailey tips her head back and laughs, then goes up onto her tiptoes and kisses me.

“Thank you,” she whispers against my mouth.

I hold her close, never wanting to let go. “You don’t need to thank me. The only thing I regret is not doing it a long time ago.”

As the words leave my mouth, the music playing from the speakers switches from an upbeat tune to a slower, sweeter one. Nearby, people are still dancing beneath the falling snow and twinkling lights. It’s romantic and magical, and Hailey deserves to enjoy every bit of it.

Taking her hand, I pull her out onto the makeshift dance floor, and her eyebrows shoot up as we join the other couples swaying to the music.

“What are you doing? You don’t dance.” Her gentle reminder is laced with curiosity.

“Yeah, I do, songbird—for you.”

I would do anything at all for her. Even punch a guy out in front of the entire town. Even dance.

Sebastian and Reid follow us out onto the floor, and the four of us find space among everyone else already dancing. My brothers and I all dance with her in turn, passing Hailey back and forth between us, making no bones about the fact that we’re all together.

Most of the fuss about our relationship seems to be dying down, especially now that Dylan has shown his ass in front of the entire town. No one will pay any attention to him anymore if he tries to spread rumors about us.

When Sebastian passes Hailey back to me on the dance floor, I pull her close against my body and drop my head to brush my lips against her ear.

“You know,” I murmur, “there are still a few items on your bucket list that need to be checked off.”

I can feel her body shiver with anticipation as she melts against me, and my cock swells in response.

Time to take this gorgeous woman home .