Page 125 of The Very Naughty List

“Well, Nick Cooper.” I arch a brow. “I guess that puts you on the naughty list.”

He laughs, then shows me why hereallydeserves to be on the naughty list, his hands roaming possessively over me as he kisses me again. When we finally break apart, I’m breathless and a little unsteady on my legs.

“We should head out soon,” I say, glancing at the clock on the wall. I talked to Lorelai longer than I realized, and it’s getting to be late in the day.

“Are you sure that you want to do this?” Nick asks, a protective edge to his voice.

I nod. “Yeah. I do.”

Going to a party in the town square tonight feels a bit intimidating—but like I told Lorelai, I’m done hiding or letting other people dictate my life. The Christmas Eve Bash is the biggest and most celebrated of all the holiday events in Chestnut Hill. Most of the townspeople attend it. And I’ve decided to go with the guys, not pretending to be with just one of them, but acknowledging that I’m withallof them.

“Okay.” Nick nods, kissing me tenderly again. “We’ll be by your side the whole night. Whatever happens, you’re with us.”

His reassuring words cloak me in comfort, and I reluctantly leave the haven of his arms to go upstairs and get ready. I’ve just gotten my dress on and am rummaging around for my heels when Reid knocks on the door frame, stepping into the room.

“Fuck, you look gorgeous, trouble.” He smiles, his gaze roaming over me before he meets my eyes. “Are you nervous?”

“A little,” I answer honestly. “Mostly just because my brother will be there. I couldn’t care less about the rest of the town, but I do want to try to smooth things over with Lucas. I want you three to mend your friendship with him.”

“And we will,” Reid promises.

He strides across the room and wraps me in a protective embrace, kissing the top of my head. I nuzzle my cheek against his chest where I know the flowers that were meant for me are inked onto his skin.

The two of us head downstairs, where Sebastian and Nick are waiting, looking handsome as hell. Sebastian, never to be outdone by his brothers, tugs me away from Reid and smudges my lipstick with a breath-stealing kiss before drawing back and helping me fix my makeup. Then we all pile into the car together, heading downtown for the Christmas Eve Bash.

I can feel people glancing over at us and hear the undercurrent of their whispers the moment I walk into the square with all three men, but I keep my head high.

Nick is on one side of me, and Sebastian on the other. Reid is slightly behind me, and I can feel the warmth of their body heat enveloping me in a sort of protective encasement as they all gather close.

When I catch sight of my brother through the growing crowd, my stomach flutters with nerves.

Here we go.

He notices us too, and a hard look settles over his face as he approaches us. With every step he takes, the butterflies in my stomach flap harder. I hate that my relationship with the Cooper brothers caused this rift between them and Lucas, but the truth is, I was hiding things from him too. If he’s mad at them, he should be just as mad at me.

“Lucas,” I say when he reaches us, trying to keep my voice steady. “We were hoping to see you here.”

“Oh really?” He narrows his eyes, glancing at the three men who are flanking me. “You wereallhoping to see me? Got any more lies to come clean about?”

My shoulders tense, but Sebastian gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before he steps forward.

“No,” he says simply. “No more lies. Lucas, you know we love you, man. You’ve been our best friend ever since we were kids, and none of us want that to change. We all respect you and feel like shit about having kept this from you for as long as we did. But in our defense, everything we told you was true at the beginning. Itwasall meant to be fake. Then, when things started to change and we realized our feelings were real, we weren’t sure how you’d react.”

“Can you blame me?” Lucas’s voice is gruff.

“No,” Nick says, his hand settling on my lower back. “You’ve always protected your sister, and you always will. But we’ve always protected her too. And we always will. We’re not letting this go. Hailey means the world to all of us, and I hope you’ll come to accept that.”

My brother’s face is unreadable, but I can practically see the thoughts churning through his mind as he weighs their words.

“Remember that time she drew lines all over her face to connect her freckles?” Reid says, fond amusement coloring his tone. “Remember what I told you that day after we all made sure no one in school would make fun of her? I said I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. I meant it then, and I mean it now. So do Sebastian and Nick. All we want—all we’ve ever wanted—is to take care of Hailey. We’ll treat her the way she deserves to be treated, I promise.”

Lucas’s eyes widen a little, and my heart thumps at the reminder of that day.

“Please, Lucas,” I whisper. “They make me happy. This makes me happy. I want to be with all of them, and we’d really love your blessing.”

His throat works as he swallows, but before he has a chance to say anything, a chipper voice rises above the hum of the gathered revelers.

“Oh, there you are!”

---