Page 129 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

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COOPER

“Joy, it’s okay,” I said, gently moving her aside. “This needs to happen.”

She grabbed at my red velvet sleeve, her eyes wide with panic. “Cooper, no. Not here. Not in front of all these families. Please.”

But I was done. Absolutely done. I’d spent a year letting Lynn dictate the narrative, letting her drama poison my reputation and now threaten Joy’s. I’d watched her spread rumors and create chaos while I stayed silent, thinking it would blow over.

It hadn’t blown over. It had gotten worse.

“This ends here,” I said firmly, standing from the Santa chair with as much dignity as a man stuffed with throw pillows could manage.

Joy positioned herself between me and Lynn, her hands pressed against my padded chest. “Cooper, please. Think about what you’re doing. You’re Santa right now. There are children watching.”

I looked down at her worried face, at the woman who’d worked so hard to make this festival perfect, who deserved better than having her reputation dragged through the mud by my vindictive ex-fiancée. The woman I was completely in love with, who I had apparently been too much of a coward to fight for properly.

“I am thinking,” I said, my voice steady despite the fake beard muffling my words. “I’m thinking about how long I’ve let her get away with this bullshit. I’m thinking about how she’s been trying to ruin what we have before it even has a chance to get started.”

Joy sighed, clearly recognizing the fact I wasn’t going to be stopped.

“Try not to drop the F bomb at least,” she whispered.

That would be tough but I would certainly try. For the children.

I walked toward Lynn with the measured steps of a man who had finally found his balls. The Santa suit should have made me feel ridiculous, but instead it felt like armor—a reminder that I was here for something bigger than my own fears and insecurities. I was here for Joy and for a community that had supported me through my darkest moments.

Lynn’s artificial smile faltered slightly as I approached. She probably expected me to avoid her, to put as much distance between us as possible like I had been doing for the past few days. Instead, I was walking directly toward her.

And she knew me. I knew she knew the look in my eyes.

I was done fucking around.

“Cooper,” she said, her voice carrying that honeyed tone that had once made me weak in the knees. “Just the man I was hoping to find⁠—”

“No,” I interrupted, keeping my voice calm but firm. The families around us were close enough to overhear, and I wanted there to be no ambiguity about what I was saying. “Whatever you’re hoping for, the answer is no.”

Lynn’s mask slipped for just a moment, revealing a flash of genuine surprise. She’d probably spent the last few days assuming that her little performance at the market had succeeded in driving Joy away from me. In a way, it did. But not anymore.

“You don’t even know why I’m here,” she protested, moving closer with that calculated grace she’d always used to manipulate situations. I had flashbacks to the many parties we attended. She always put her hand on my upper arm or back. It was her way of telling me to shut up or to follow her or to do whatever it was she was demanding.

It used to work. I shrugged her hand away before she could touch me.

“I know exactly what you’re going to say,” I replied, not backing down an inch. “You’re going to tell me that you’ve made a mistake, that you want me back, that we can work things out. You’re going to try to convince me that what Joy and I have isn’t real, that I’m settling for less than I deserve.”

Lynn’s expression hardened. “Maybe because it’s true. Maybe because I know you better than anyone, and I know you’re not happy⁠—”

“You’re wrong,” I said, cutting her off again. “You don’t know me and I am happy. For the first time in years, I’m genuinely and completely happy. And it has nothing to do with you. What we had is over. I don’t even know if it was ever real. I was lonely and you filled the void but we both know neither of us was truly happy.”

I could feel the attention of nearby families, could see people beginning to notice our conversation. Good. I wanted witnesses for this.

Lynn looked uncomfortable. “You know I loved you. We just⁠—”

“No,” I said. “There is no we. You did what you did. I’m not taking responsibility for your bad decisions. I don’t hate you. I just don’t care. I’ve moved on, like you did a long time ago.”

“Cooper, let’s go somewhere and talk. Privately.”

“I love Joy Murphy,” I said, loud enough that there could be no mistaking my words. “I love her kindness, her strength, and her determination to make this community better. I love the way she makes me laugh and the way she challenges me to be a better man. I love her, Lynn, and that means there is no room in my life for you.”