Page 73 of The Anaconda Downstairs

“Ev,” Declan called out, his voice tight. “You need to see this.”

He handed me his phone, and my heart dropped. I expected more backlash from Odin. I didn't expect it from the sports reporters and fans. Speculation was running wild about why Kelsey and Pen weren't at the game. The comments section on one of the major sports network's post about the game was a war zone, with fans taking sides and slinging accusations.

@IncognitoMosquito: Guess the Kingmans finally realized being Besties was bad for their brand.

@QueenofGoss: Sources say Declan Kingman is distancing himself from the social media drama. Wedding's probably off.

@GridironPatriot: No wonder the Mustangs lost. Too busy dealing with fake body-positive drama queens to focus on the game. #BoycottBesties

For fuck’s sake.

Now I had to burn the internet to the ground, and I had a feeling Declan was going to help me do it.

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PENELOPE

Ipaced the length of the living room, my stockinged feet sinking into the plush carpet with each step. The Mustangs' flight had landed over an hour ago, and I knew Everett would be home soon. My stomach twisted with worry. They'd lost the game and the internet was basically blaming me.

Why they didn't blame Odin for starting shit in the first place was a mystery to me. Well, not really, he was a mediocre white guy. They never got in trouble for anything.

The sound of a key in the lock made me jump even though I was fully expecting it. I turned towards the door as it swung open, revealing Everett. His jaw was set, eyes blazing with barely contained fury. Despite his obvious anger, my heart still skipped a beat at the sight of him.

“Ev,” I breathed, crossing the room.

He dropped his bag and enveloped me in a fierce hug. I could feel the tension in his muscles as he held me tight. I hated that I was the source of that tension.

“Those vultures,” he growled into my hair. “How dare they suggest we'd distance ourselves from you and Kelsey? As if we're not loyal. As if you're not family.”

I pulled back slightly, cupping his face in my hands. “I know, Ev. It's awful. But we can't let them get to us. It's what they want.”

If I'd learned anything since the beginning of this disaster, and honestly, even since doing social media for Kelsey in the first place, it was that trolls on the internet wanted a negative reaction to their shit-stirring. They craved the attention, and the smartest thing to do was not only to ignore them, but to be positive in spite of the negative poo they were slinging.

All the posts from the Take Up Space Network, Besties, and others were teaching me life lessons I hadn't even realized I'd missed growing up and clearly, desperately needed to learn. And I think I was. Today, even though the media was doing their best to tear us down, I didn't feel even a smidgen as bad as I had a week ago.

Part of the reason for that was standing right here in front of me. Everett was the supportive man every woman in the world dreamed of having by their side. I was lucky and so grateful he was mine.

Everett's eyes flashed. “They're implying our relationship affected my game. That it made us, me, play badly. It's bull?—”

There was a place inside of me that got a little hot and bothered by how protective of me and our relationship he was being right now. I could hardly wait to show him exactly how appreciative of him I was. Naked. But after I calmed him down.

“Everett,” I interrupted gently, guiding him to the couch. We sat down, and I took his hands in mine, but that wasn't enough for him, and he pulled me into his lap. “Tell me about the game. Did all of this affect you? Because I may rethink our positivity only strategy if it did.”

I really was all in on the kill him with kindness plan, but if what Odin was doing hurt my man, I was ready and willing to move on to the just kill him plan. Grr. I am woman, hearme murder. Then dig a deep grave, toss an animal carcass on top to confuse any cadaver dogs, and plant a whole-ass field of endangered plant species to make it really damn hard to get permission to even search for, much less dig up, any bodies.

Not that I'd thought about it much or anything.

He took a deep breath, some of the anger seeming to deflate out of him. “Honestly? It was one of the best games I've ever played. Even Shananagan said so in the press conference afterward. When they let him get a word in edgewise.”

“But you lost,” I said softly. I knew it wasn't my fault, but it still worried me that I might be making his job harder.

A wry smile tugged at Everett's lips. “Yeah, we did. Because sometimes the other team plays great too. It's okay, Pen. Every team loses sometimes. Even the Mustangs. That's part of the game.”

“Okay. As long as that axehole didn't get to you.” I squeezed his hands. “That's what matters.”

“But he did get to the media.” He narrowed his eyes again, and I think he even growled. “They are having a field day with this.”

“The media thrives on drama.” Didn't I know it. I'd seen them come after Kelsey in the past, and I admired her strength in facing them now more than ever. “We can't control what they say, but we can control how we respond.”

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