The Anaconda Downstairs (The Cocky Kingmans, #4)

by Amy Award

“Ev,” his expression turned serious, “if you love her, if this is real, then you fight for it. Out in the open where everyone can see. She needs to know you'll burn down the fucking world for her.”

“I know you're scared. But hiding isn't going to help. Not from my family, not from the world, not from each other. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe however

I can, and I will be there to soothe the hurts I can't stop.”

I showed Penelope, and everyone else in that room, exactly what she meant to me.

I kissed Penelope for them all to see. This kiss was not soft, not sweet, and not like anything but a man possessed by and obsessed with her. I kissed her so that no one would doubt exactly how I felt about her. Including her.

“You want to know how we're going to handle this? Together. That's how. Because I love you, Penelope Quinn. I'm in love with you, and I'm not ashamed of it. I'm proud of it. Of us.”

“I love you, Everett, and I'm scared, and excited, and you're the only person I'd want to go through all of this with.”

“Pen, that doesn't make you fake. It makes you human.”

“Authenticity isn't about being perfect. It's about being real, struggles and all.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. “All of you. I... I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this. But I want to try.”

“You are strong enough. And on the days you don't feel strong, you've got all of us to lean on.”

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

“No quickies for us, Penny. I'm going to love you long and hard, bent over the couch, just the way you like it, baby.”

“My mom sat me down and told me something I've never forgotten. She said, 'Everett, honey, people will always try to put others in boxes, to tell you what you should be. Those boxes can hurt if you let them. But the best way to blow those boxes up like firecrackers on Independence Day, and the most important thing, is to be authentically you. That's how you find love in this world—by being true to yourself and loving yourself first.'”

“She taught me that beauty isn't about fitting some arbitrary standard. It's about confidence, kindness, and being true to yourself. That's what body positivity means to me. It's not just about looks. It's about embracing who you are, all of you, and knowing your worth doesn't depend on anyone else's opinion.”

“That was quite a speech in there. I'm proud of you. That was the real Everett Kingman in there, vulnerable and authentic. That's the man I fell in love with.”

“That's the man I always want to be for you.”

For the first time ever, I was wearing a matching jersey with his name and number on it. He'd gone a little bit feral this morning when he'd seen me in it for the first time. That's when I learned that it was just as fun

getting bent over hotel couches as it was at home.

continued. “I always thought falling in love would be like lightning striking—one big, unmistakable moment. That's how it always seemed to happen to the men in my family. But with you, Pen, it was different. It was a thousand little lightning strikes, each one illuminating another reason to love you.”

“Every lesson, every conversation, every shared laugh—they were all strikes of lightning. And before I knew it, my universe was lit up by you. You taught me that love isn't always a sudden crash of thunder. Sometimes it's a slow-building storm that leaves

you soaked to the bone before you even realize it's raining.”

“Penelope Quinn,” Everett said, pulling a small box from his pocket. “You came to me for dating lessons, but you ended up teaching me the most important lesson of all—how to truly love. Will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes, yes. I'll marry you and love you and all the things I never thought would ever happen to me.”

To anyone else who's held themselves back because they didn't think they deserved love: You do. We all do. Our size doesn't determine our worthiness of love and affection.

In that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that this—Everett's love, my love for him, and most importantly, my love for myself—was the greatest, most beautiful part of life, and I'd spend the rest of it with

this man. The one who my most authentic love would belong to. Forever.