Page 54 of The Anaconda Downstairs

I frowned, confused. “Well, yeah. I mean, Declan’s my brother, and Kelsey’s your best friend. And given how protective Dec is of you, I’ve probably got a black eye coming but...”

Pen bit her lip, a habit I was starting to recognize as a sign of her anxiety. “It’s just... my whole life is always out there for everyone to see, Ev. Being the Besties’ Bestie, everything I do is public knowledge. Once this gets out, we’ll be under scrutiny hard core. For once, I’d like to have something that’s just... mine. At least for a little while.”

My heart softened at her words, even as worry gnawed at my gut. But we just needed to talk this through. “I get that, Pen. I do. But don’t you think they’re going to be pissed if they find outwe’ve been sneaking around? We don’t need to hide our feelings from them. I’m sure they can keep a secret.”

“I know, and we’ll tell them. Just... let’s wait until after Christmas. Give me just a few days to float in this blissful new place where it’s just the two of us. Please?” Her eyes pleaded with me, and I felt my resolve weakening.

“All right, Penny. It’s not like I want to share you with the world either.” The words were still there, right on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to say that she was mine, that I loved her, that I wanted to marry her.

Before I could get out another word, we heard footsteps on the stairs. Panic shot through me as I frantically looked for a place to hide Pen.

“Ev?” Declan’s voice called out. “You up, bro? We’ve got practice.”

“Uh, yeah,” I called back, my voice embarrassingly high-pitched. “I’ll be right up.”

I turned to Pen, speaking in a rushed whisper. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll go up first and distract them. You wait five minutes, then sneak up and act like you just woke up and came down for coffee. Got it?”

She nodded, her face pale but determined.

I took a deep breath, then headed up the stairs. Declan was in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He raised an eyebrow as I emerged from the basement.

“Rough night?” he asked, taking in my rumpled appearance.

I forced a laugh. “Yeah, that couch isn’t as comfortable as it looks.”

Declan chuckled. “Uh, there’s a whole ass bedroom down there, buttface. Well, that’s what you get for letting a snake chase you out of your own house.”

If only he knew the real snake in this situation was me, sneaking around with the girl he saw as a little sister.

“Listen, Dec,” I started, knowing I needed to say something, even if I couldn’t tell him everything yet. “About Pen...”

But before I could continue, Kelsey bustled into the kitchen. “Morning, boys. Oh, Ev, you look terrible. Didn’t sleep well?”

I caught a flash of something suspicious in Kelsey’s so-happy-to-be-awake-this-early attitude. But a movement behind them—Pen, sneaking up the stairs as planned—kept me from examining that further.

“Uh, no, not really,” I mumbled, trying to keep their attention on me.

“Morning, everyone,” Pen’s voice rang out, sounding impressively casual. “Is there coffee?”

As Kelsey fussed over Pen and Declan returned to his breakfast, I caught Pen’s eye over their shoulders. The look we shared was filled with relief, excitement, and a touch of guilt.

This couldn’t last. Eventually, we’d have to come clean. But for now, I’d respect Pen’s wishes. She deserved to have something that was just ours, even if only for a little while. We didn’t even really know what this something was yet.

I headed back downstairs to shower before practice, and my mind raced. How were we going to navigate this? How long could we keep it a secret? And most importantly, how was I going to convince my family—especially Declan—that this wasn’t just another fling but something real and important?

I know they all thought my love guru persona got laid all the time and left a trail of tears after one-night stands. But I wasn’t that guy. I didn’t sleep with even a quarter as many women as they all thought I did.

And maybe I played it all up a bit. But only because I didn’t need anyone to see how often my own heart was broken when the women I went out with turned out to want my money, fame, or body more than me.

Penelope wasn’t like that. She was the one I’d been searching for since I was eight years old. And I’d face anything—even my overprotective big brother—to keep her in my life and happy.

Just because I was ready to shout from the rooftops that I’d finally found real love, didn’t mean she was. She’d been burned so badly by stupid douchepotatoes that even the thought of finding a date, much less real love, scared her.

I had no doubt that’s what this not telling anyone about us thing was really about.

I had to be okay giving her space to feel comfortable in our new relationship. But the Kingmans could smell secrets from a hundred yards away. We’d be lucky to make it past Christmas before someone in my family figured it out.

KINGMAN FAMILY TRADITIONS

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