Page 89 of The Anaconda Downstairs

Iwas sprawled on the couch, idly flipping through sports channels. I fucking loved the first week of the off-season. We had absolutely nothing to do, and I was filling it with rest and relaxation, and spending a lot of time in bed... with Penelope under me, whimpering my name, as I made her come. Again. And again.

The doorbell rang. The doorbell never rang. The only people who came over to our house—I absolutely loved thinking of it as ours instead of just mine—were my family. They didn't ring the doorbell. They just walked in. Weird.

Pen looked up with a raised eyebrow. She'd been tapping away on her tablet at the other end of the couch with her legs all wrapped up in mine.

“Expecting someone?” she asked.

I shook my head, hauling myself up. “Nope. I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

I peeked through the window and didn't see anyone. Maybe some kind of a delivery?

But when I opened the door, it wasn't a delivery I found. It was Billy, our young neighbor, looking like his favorite pet had gone over the rainbow bridge. If I could only be so lucky.

“Hey, Billy.” I crouched down to get on his level. “What's going on, kiddo?”

He shuffled his feet, not meeting my eyes. “Um, Mr. Kingman, sir? Is it... is it okay if I hang out here for a bit? My mom and dad are yelling at each other again.”

My heart sank. Billy's dad was a dick, but his mom seemed nice. I hadn't realized it had gotten this bad.

“Of course, buddy. Come on in,” I said, stepping aside to let him enter.

Pen was already on her feet, her face a picture of concern. “Billy, honey, are you hungry? I was just about to make some snacks.”

Billy shook his head, but I saw the way his eyes lit up at the mention of food. “Maybe, if you've got, like, peanut butter and jelly? I know how to make that myself.”

“I love me some PB and J. So I'll make some for me and you both, okay?” Pen headed to the kitchen, her phone in hand. She caught my eye and mouthed “calling his mom” before disappearing down the hallway.

That left me to entertain the kid. “Hey, you want to go throw the ball around for a bit? I could call my brothers over, have a scrimmage.”

It might be February, but we were having one of our three hundred days of sunshine, and it was sixty-some degrees outside. For the first time since he'd arrived, Billy's face broke into a genuine smile. “Really? That'd be awesome.”

I grinned back, already reaching for my phone. “You got it, champ. Let me just call in the cavalry.”

I sent a message out to the family chat, and within a half an hour, the backyard was a hive of activity. Chris, Declan, Hayes, and the twins all showed up, along with Trixie, Kelsey, and Willa. We needed to find the twins some partners of their own too. I loved seeing my brothers happy.

And I was feeling some love guru advice coming on.

But first, football. We divided into teams, while the ladies decided to make it a full on gathering and whipped up way more than sandwiches.

“Alright, Billy,” I said, holding the ball out toward him. “You're gonna be my star receiver. Think you can handle it?”

He nodded solemnly, his earlier sadness forgotten in the excitement of the game.

What followed was a hilarious and heartwarming scrimmage. My brothers, professional and college athletes that they were, played with exaggerated clumsiness, allowing Billy to dodge past them and make spectacular catches.

“And Billy 'The Bullet' scores another touchdown,” Hayes commentated dramatically as Billy crossed our makeshift end zone. “The Kingman brothers are being absolutely destroyed out here, folks.”

Billy was beaming, his cheeks flushed with exertion and joy. As he high-fived me, affection for this kid skittered through me in a whole new way.

What would it be like to have a kid like this of my own? Pen and I hadn't talked about that part of our future yet, and I'd definitely be bringing up sooner rather than later. Because I could imagine a whole gaggle of kids running around in my backyard tossing the ball around.

I fucking loved family.

The game wound down as the sun began to set, and we all trooped inside, sweaty and laughing. Pen waved us over to a spread of food that would put most buffets to shame. My dad, Jules, and Isak were already at the table, chowing down.

“Fuel up, boys,” she said, smiling as we descended on the food like a pack of wolves.As we munched, I noticed Billy got quiet again.

“Everything okay, buddy?” I asked quietly.

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