The Very Naughty List

47. Hailey

47

HAILEY

The more I smooth down my dress in front of the mirror, the more the palms of my hands start to sweat.

If anyone had told me a week ago as we were celebrating Christmas with my family that I would be getting ready to do this soon, I would have said they were nuts.

“If you keep doing that, you’ll rub all the sparkles off. And it’s New Year’s Eve, so you definitely want to be as sparkly as possible.”

I turn to see Sebastian standing in the doorway. He takes a step forward and kisses me softly.

“You’re nervous. I can tell.”

“Of course I am.” I sigh. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can most definitely do it.” He grins and turns me back around to look at myself in the mirror again. “You shouldn’t be nervous, shortcake. You’re a badass. You’re the woman who helped break the Montgomerys’ hold on this town. You can do anything.”

I can’t help but smile at that, pride rising in my chest—not just for myself, but for everyone else in Chestnut Hill too.

After so many people stood up to Dylan that night, the sentiment in town started to shift against him and his family. Now his parents are having to work extra hard to keep the contracts that they have with business partners in town, many of whom have already been stepping away and cutting ties with the Montgomerys altogether.

Public opinion has turned against them, which means that they won’t be able to rule the whole town like they used to. Since the Christmas Eve Bash, more and more things about their shady practices came to light, and their reputation in Chestnut Hill is shot.

They ended up offering my parents a better deal on the rent for the diner, just to try to salvage what they could—but my parents turned them down.

Another small investor group in town have offered my folks a business partnership, deciding to buy out the building where the diner is located and expand it. They’ll own the building, and my parents won’t be subject to Dylan’s family or his whims anymore.

“Are you two ready?”

Nick’s voice startles me as he and Reid step into my bedroom, dressed and ready to go themselves. All of a sudden, my nerves return in a dizzying rush, my heart thudding against my ribs.

“How on earth did I let you all talk me into this?” I groan, making a face.

“Multiple orgasms?” Reid jokes, and I can’t help but laugh.

That eases a bit of my anxiety, but I still feel like there’s a small army of ants marching beneath my skin.

The New Year’s celebration is on the east side of town, in the hippest little pub that Chestnut Hill has. It’s not a huge venue, but it’s big enough that anyone who wants to attend can, as long as they pack in pretty tightly. And since New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest events this town celebrates, second only to Christmas, that means it’s likely to be a full house.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I let the guys talk me into singing for the event. I guess I just got swept up in the excitement of the holidays and was overwhelmed by how much their gift of the keyboard meant to me. That, and a few holiday cocktails, had me agreeing without stopping to consider how nervous I would be when the time came.

And yes, the Christmas night orgasms helped too.

When we get to the venue, I have to give myself a mental pep talk just to get out of the car. I spent hours picking out the perfect dress to pair with the Louboutin heels, but still, I’m tempted to flee back home and put on my pajamas so I can watch the ball drop in the privacy of my bedroom without having to get onstage in front of a crowd of people.

The Cooper brothers, always my biggest cheerleaders, urge me gently into the pub. Reid has one arm wrapped around my waist, and Sebastian keeps looking at me with a “you can do this” expression in his eyes. Nick keeps telling me how lovely I look in my silver dress, with my hair swept over one shoulder.

But all I can think about is the fact that I’m going to be opening my mouth and singing in front of an entire pub filled with people.

Not in the shower, not in the comfortable safe space of the house with the guys and Bruno—but in front of a real, live crowd of people, where I could freeze onstage and humiliate myself.

When we walk inside, I try not to look around, because I don’t want to see how many people are here. But just when I feel like my stomach is about to do somersaults, I hear a familiar voice call out from across the room.

“Hailey! Heyyy! Over here!”

I glance over and catch sight of Lorelai, and my eyes widen as shock and joy shoot through me.

“Oh my god! You’re here! What are you doing here?”

I can’t help but squeal as I let go of my men’s hands and run toward my best friend to give her a hug.

“Please, girl. I wouldn’t miss your debut performance for the world!” She looks over and gives the guys a wink. “They told me you were singing tonight and even bought my plane ticket, so of course I had to come spend New Year’s Eve with my bestie!”

I had no idea she would be here, and I’m so grateful for her support—and to the guys, for reaching out to bring her here. I truly do have the most wonderful people in my life.

We all sit down together, and Sebastian orders a round of drinks. At this point, I feel like I could drink the whole bottle of whatever the bartender brings just to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

“She’s nervous, huh?” Lorelai says in a low voice as she nudges Nick in the side.

“She doesn’t have any reason to be.” Pride fills his expression. “She’s incredible and she’s going to do great.”

“See? This is why I like these guys.” Lorelai laughs as the drinks are set down in front of us on the table. “They’ve got your back, babe, and so do I. You’re going to kill it tonight, so get out of your own way and knock their socks off!”

Her enthusiasm is overflowing. It always is, which is one of my favorite things about her.

I smile and take a long swallow of my drink, hoping to calm my nerves a bit. After a while, someone steps up to the mic on stage to talk, and my pulse immediately jumps into overdrive.

I only vaguely hear the man welcome everyone to the New Year’s Eve event and then introduce me by name. Lorelai has to poke me in the ribs to get me to stand up, and when I walk toward the stage, my legs feel as if they might give out from beneath me at any moment.

As I step onto the stage, I feel almost ready to faint. But then I see all three of the triplets right there at the front of the pub, supporting me. And beside them, my best friend is cheering me on, joined by my sister and Lucas.

I can’t let them down. And more than that, I can’t let myself down.

So when the music starts… I sing.

I sing for Reid, Sebastian, and Nick. I sing for Lucas and my sister. And I sing for my best friend, who came all the way here just to show me that she believes in me.

Letting go, I lose myself in the song as I belt out the tune. It feels good. It feels fucking amazing . By the second song, I’m really starting to find my footing, and by the third and fourth songs, I’m actually able to look out at the rest of the crowd, my hips swaying to the beat.

By the time I finish the final song, the crowd applauds with wild enthusiasm.

I’m flushed with happiness and excitement as I step down from the stage. The Cooper brothers are waiting, and I run toward them to hug each of them in turn.

“You were so great!” Lorelai says.

Nick rubs at his beard, his eyes gleaming. “You were. Beyond great, even. You were astounding.”

“Like we knew you would be,” Reid adds. “You’re fucking incredible.”

“And just look at the response from this crowd!” Sebastian grins as he waves his hand to motion to the still-clapping audience. “They loved you!”

I’m delirious from the rush of it when someone comes up beside me and taps me on the shoulder. I turn around in surprise, frowning in confusion as a man I don’t recognize smiles at me and gives a little nod.

Normally, the guys tend to get a bit protective and possessive if another man approaches me, but right now, they’re grinning at each other as if they know a secret that I don’t.

What the hell? What’s going on?

“Miss Bennett, my name is Clarence McConnell. I’m an agent with Sky Talent. Your, um, boyfriends invited me here to see you sing this evening.” The tall, middle-aged man chuckles. “They were quite convincing, in fact.”

He holds his hand out for me to shake, but I just gape at him for a moment, floored by his words.

The guys invited a talent scout to this event just for me? Holy shit .

“There’s been some interest in you and your story already,” Clarence continues as I finally snap myself out of my daze and shake his hand. “The viral video and accompanying article about you has made you an internet darling. And once we get your music out there, I think the world is going to fall in love with you.”

“I’m sorry…” I grip Nick’s arm to steady myself, my mouth going dry. “What… what are you saying?”

Clarence chuckles, smoothing his perfectly styled hair. “I’m saying that I’m very glad these men convinced me to come and listen to you sing. You’re quite talented, Miss Bennett. My agency has been looking for smaller artists to represent—undiscovered talent, as it were—and I think you’d be a perfect fit. I’d love to sign you to Sky Talent, if that would be of interest to you.”

He hands me his card, and my fingers shake as I take it.

“I… yes, I’m definitely interested,” I say, my voice shaking.

“Great.” He nods, looking satisfied. “That card has my number. Give me a call on Monday, and we can discuss things. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and tell you more about our agency. We’re based in Los Angeles, and we have a fairly small roster, so you’ll get a lot of personal attention.”

I nod. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”

Clarence shakes my hand again, then does the same with each of the men before heading out. Once he’s gone, I turn to them all in shock.

“You invited a talent agent here tonight to hear me sing?” I blurt. “But what if I froze on stage? What if I didn’t do a good job?”

“Impossible.” Reid smiles at me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “We knew you’d fucking kill it, trouble.”

I throw my arms around him and kiss him, melting into his embrace before moving to kiss Sebastian too.

“Thank you,” I whisper as I press my cheek against his chest.

I kiss Nick last and linger in his arms as I try to soak all of this in. But then it hits me in a rush what “this” is, and I draw back suddenly, my smile melting away.

“What’s wrong?” Nick’s brows pinch together.

“Once we decided to date for real, I was thinking I would stay in Chestnut Hill. But if I sign with Sky Talent, what if I end up having to travel for singing gigs or whatnot? What if they want me to move back to LA? Won’t that derail things between all of us? I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

Reid’s hand settles on my lower back, warm and soothing. “Nothing will come between us, shortcake. We’ll go wherever you are.” He catches my chin between his thumb and finger, tipping my head up to meet his gaze as he smiles softly. “After all, home is where the people you love are, not a physical place on a map.”