Chapter 23 #2
Mayor Banks takes to the platform and picks up the oversized switch for the tree, beaming at the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, in just a moment, Santa Claus himself will light our Christmas tree!”
Cheers erupt, and the children scream with glee. Dylan soaks it in, and makes a move toward the stage. Penn steps closer, his voice dropping so only we can hear. “You and me, we need to talk.”
Dylan chuckles. “Careful, tough guy. Wouldn’t want to throw a punch in front of all these witnesses. Bad for your image. And hers.” He nods toward me, his voice pitched just loud enough to needle.
Penn’s eyes blaze, his fists flexing. For a split second, I see the storm break through the cracks in his control. Then he takes a step back, jaw tight, forcing the fury down. For the children. For me.
Penn’s voice is low, ragged, barely contained. “You can say whatever you want to me. Do whatever you want to me. But don’t think for one second I’m going to let you mess anything up for Jaylynn.”
Dylan scoffs, spreading his arms as though the entire town square is his stage. “Mess it up? You didn’t show. I did her a favor, Penn. I saved the day.”
Penn’s eyes flash. “You tried to sabotage this parade. You sent me on a wild goose chase, had me tearing across town thinking my aunt was in trouble. Do you have any idea the hell you put me through? What this could have done to Jaylynn’s career?
” His voice shakes with fury. “Tell me, did you flatten her tires on purpose, too?”
I jerk my head toward him, shock stealing my breath. Tires? His aunt? What goose chase? My brain scrambles, trying to catch up.
Dylan smirks, like he’s relishing every second. “Jaylynn doesn’t even have a career to sabotage. But I’m going to rectify that. Me. I’m the guy who’s going to do that. She’s not going to make it out there in the real world without me. She tried once, and look how that turned out.”
Penn’s jaw clenches. His voice drops, but it vibrates with unshakable conviction. “You’re the one who needs her to...” He falters, turns toward me. For a split second, I see the storm in his eyes—the war he’s waging inside. What is it he’s trying to say to me?
He faces Dylan again, voice steady and fierce. “For the record, she does have a career. And don’t you ever diminish her like that again. She doesn’t need you—or anyone—to make it. She’s strong, and smart, and she can do anything she sets her mind to.”
Dylan barks a laugh. “Smart? I wouldn’t go that far. Not if she’s wasting her time with you.” His voice sharpens like a blade. “You’re an enforcer, Penn. A thug. A nothing who’s never getting off the fourth line. Even she knows that.”
Penn stiffens, his mouth opening—ready to fight—but Dylan keeps pressing, the knife twisting deeper. “Let me guess, Jaylynn’s been pushing you, hasn’t she? Telling you to be more, do more? She deserves better than a thug for a husband. Even you know that.”
Penn falters, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. His gaze flicks to mine, and I know—God, I know—Dylan has used my words against him. Words I never meant to hurt Penn with.
“Penn.” My voice cracks. My heart is pounding so loud I can hardly hear. We can’t do this here, in front of everyone. Our private lives spilled out under the glow of Christmas lights. “Penn, don’t—”
I reach for him, my hand trembling, but he doesn’t move.
Dylan tilts his head, the predator who smells blood. “You think she can live up to her potential with you?” He sweeps his hand toward the float, the stage, the staring crowd. “Look around, Penn. This is the best you can give her? This is her life with you?”
Penn’s voice is tight, each word ground out between clenched teeth. “You’re the one who’s messing this up for her.”
“No.” Dylan leans closer, his voice dropping to a vicious hiss. “You’re the one who’s going to mess it all up, and prove to her exactly who you are.”
Penn’s brows knit. “What are you talking about?”
Dylan pivots to me. “Let’s not kid ourselves, Jay.
Without me, you’re nothing. I saved this parade.
I’m the one who can give you the career you dream of.
With Penn?” He sweeps his hand toward the children at the edges of the crowd.
“This is all you’ll ever have.” He looks back at Penn, his eyes glittering with malice.
“That kiss we shared under the mistletoe was just the beginning.”
Fire burns in Penn’s eyes. “Penn, it’s not what you think. I didn’t—”
“I know,” he responds through clenched teeth, his gaze never leaving Dylan’s. “Don’t you go near her again.”
Ignoring him, Dylan adds, “Oh, and you were right about her tires. I did that. I needed alone time with her after our kiss. She just doesn’t see it yet, but she will. She’ll see we’re meant to be together.”
The words land like a bomb.
Penn’s entire body goes rigid. His fists curl tight, his breath tearing through his chest. When he finally speaks, his voice is a growl that makes the hair rise on the back of my neck. “You put her in danger.”
He stalks forward, each step deliberate, deadly. My heart leaps into my throat. This is going bad, fast.
“Penn, wait.” I lunge for him, reaching for his arm.
But I’m too late.
His fist arcs through the air, a loud crack. Dylan stumbles back, crashing into a display of light-up peppermint sticks, strings of red-and-white bulbs tangling around him as he crumples. Gasps ripple through the crowd, children cry, and a stunned silence swallows the square.
“Penn!” My scream rips from my throat.
He spins toward me, his chest heaving, his eyes wild. And then—just for a heartbeat—I see every emotion flicker across his face. Fury, shock, regret, sorrow… and then the one that guts me most.
Shame.
His shoulders sag, his fists unclench, and he looks at me like he’s already lost. “I’m so sorry, Jaylynn,” he whispers, voice raw.
“I ruined this for you. The one thing I swore I’d never do.
” He swallows and looks at the tree. “Christmas, the tree lighting…I wanted to give you new memories. To wipe away the painful ones.”
His gaze sweeps the square—the crying children, the horrified faces, the chaos he’s unleashed. His chest rises and falls in quick, ragged bursts.
And then he turns.
Before I can reach him, before I can call him back, he’s gone.
Gone from the stage. Gone from the crowd.
Gone from me.
Dylan pushes to his feet, rubbing his jaw with a grimace, the tangled lights glowing around his legs. He smirks. “What did I tell you, Jay? He just proved exactly who he is.”