Page 128 of The Very Naughty List

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 ourinvestments.” 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?”

“YoupunchedDylan 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.”

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