Page 71 of The Anaconda Downstairs

I looked at the girls and shook my head. “Pen's moving in with me. Right now. We'll be back for her things. Do what you need to set up battle stations at my house later.”

Neith's eyebrows shot up, but Kelsey gave me that small nod, smile, and wink of approval. Jules held the door open for me and gave me a salute.

“Ev, we can't just—” Pen started, but I cut her off with a gentle squeeze and then threw her over my shoulder and smacked her ass.

“Yes, we can,” I said firmly. “You're mine now, and you’re not going through this alone, Pen. I won't let you.”

I'd barely gotten Pen home and settled on the couch when the doorbell rang. Opening the door, I found Kelsey, Neith, and Jules, arms laden with laptops, cameras, and what looked like enough snacks to feed my entire offensive line.

“Troops reporting for duty,” Jules announced, marching past me with determination.

Well damn. I'd hoped to be able to relax my girl with a couple of orgasms before we went into battle, but duty called. I had to hand it to the girls for rallying the troops, supplies, and equipment so fast.

As they set up in the living room, I caught Pen's eye. She looked overwhelmed, but there was a glimmer of something else there too—hope, maybe.

“Alright, team,” Neith said, taking charge for today's crisis. “We need to counter Odin's narrative and fast. He wants us on the defensive. We're changing the conversation on him entirely.”

Kelsey nodded, pulling out her tablet. “Trixie's headed to Marie Manniway’s, and they're calling in the Cowgirls and CowPals. A lot of them also have solid followings, so we're going to be able to get the message out. They're ready to mobilize, but we need a unified message.”

“I think I know what we need to do,” Pen spoke up, her voice quiet but steady. “We focus on the reality of what it means to be a big girl, chubby, fat, and body positive. Not just the good days, but the struggles too.”

All eyes turned to her. I moved to her side, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Go on,” Neith encouraged.

Pen took a deep breath. “Odin's trying to paint me, and honestly the whole body positivity movement, at least the sidewith fat people, as a fraud. Because we have insecurities. But that's part of the journey, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” Kelsey nodded and closed her eyes. She tipped her head to the side and her fingers danced, as if she was playing a piano in her mind.

Pen must have found that totally normal, because she continued on. “When we were at the spa the other day and you all told me about your stories of when you didn't feel beautiful, or secure, that helped me. It empowered me, even if it was only for a day.”

No one said a word, because we were, or at least I was, completely riveted by this step forward in her own journey that Penelope was taking right before our eyes.

“What if we show that? Real people, real struggles, and the real side of body positivity where we work our way through it.”

Pride swelled in my chest. Even in her darkest moment, my girl was thinking of others.

Jules snapped her fingers and bowed her head, cheering on Pen's ideas, her strength. “Yas, queen, yas. It'll be fast and easy to do a bajillion short videos. Everyone shares a moment of doubt they've had, but then how they overcame it or are working to overcome it.”

“Real bodies, real stories,” Kelsey mused. “I like it.”

For the next few hours, our living room transformed into a production studio. Jules coordinated logistics, Neith crafted the overall strategy, and Kelsey kept humming a tune I didn't recognize. Through it all, Pen was the quarterback, the coach, their cheering fan.

I watched Pen slip into her element, offering words of encouragement to a nervous influencer on a video call, suggesting tweaks to the messaging. She was still hurting, I could tell, but she was also fighting back.

Odin had no idea what he was up against.

But I could see the toll the day was taking on her.

“Hey,” I said softly, cupping her face in my hands. “How are you holding up?”

“I'm scared, Ev,” she admitted. “What if this isn't enough? What if people don't understand?”

I pressed my forehead to hers. “Listen to me. What you're doing here? It's brave as hell. You're not just defending yourself, you're standing up for everyone who's ever felt like they weren't good enough. That's powerful, Pen. That's real.”

When she opened her eyes, I saw a flicker of her usual fire. “You really think this will work?”

“I think you're changing the game,” I said firmly.

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