Page 78 of The Anaconda Downstairs

When I got out of the studio, I had a message from Jules. Hayes and Willa were back from their trip to Japan, and whatever had happened there had prompted an urgent family meeting. If ever I wanted my family around me, it was today.

“Thank you all for coming,” Hayes said, his voice steady despite the obvious nerves. “Willa and I need your help.”

As Hayes laid out their dilemma, their love, their fears, the impossible choice they faced between Willa's need for adventure and Hayes's ties to Denver, a knot of hissing snakes formed in my stomach. It was all too familiar.

Hayes was trying so hard to live up to expectations he thought were being placed on him, by us, by society, but more importantly, by himself.

And honestly, weren't we all?

It was all bullshit.

The room erupted into a flurry of suggestions and opinions. I watched as Hayes and Willa rejected idea after idea, each unwilling to let the other sacrifice their dreams. It wasadmirable, but also frustrating. Couldn't they see they were talking themselves in circles because of all these expectations?

Kelsey sat up straighter, her eyes sparkling with that look she gets when she's had an idea. She waved Penelope, Jules, and me in close.

“I think I might have a solution,” Kelsey whispered once we'd huddled close. “What if Willa came to work for me? We travel all over the world, but we're based here. I'm just not sure in what capacity.”

Penelope nodded and her face lit up. “What about having her travel ahead of you on tour?”Pen suggested, her voice low but excited.

“She could scout locations, check out hotels, make sure everything's set up properly for you and your team. It would let her travel and solve problems, which she loves.”

My chest tightened watching Penelope because my heart was so fucking full. Here she was, barely a part of our lives for any time at all, and yet she was right in the thick of things, using her insight and creativity to help solve our family's problems. She fit so seamlessly into our chaos, offering ideas and support with that unwavering positivity of hers.

The others nodded enthusiastically at Pen's suggestion, and I realized just how important she'd become, not just to me, but to my entire family. She wasn't an outsider looking in, she was one of us, through and through.

Kelsey beamed at Penelope. “That's perfect. Let's pitch it to them.”

We broke our huddle and Kelsey cleared her throat. “Willa, I think I've got an idea. See what you think.”

The room fell silent as Kelsey outlined the plan, explaining about her upcoming album and tour, then dropping the proposal for Willa to work for her.

Surprise and uncertainty flickered across Willa's face. “I... I don't know, Kelsey. That's an incredible offer, but am I really qualified for something like that? I don't know anything about the music industry.”

Hayes squeezed Willa's hand, his eyes lighting up. “You'd get to travel, see the world, talk to and charm new people, and I'm sure there will be crazy weird problems to solve. It's everything you're good at, babe.”

But I could see the hesitation in Willa's eyes. “But I'd be away from you the whole time. It's no different than if I just got another teaching job abroad. We need a way for us to be together. Maybe I should just?—”

As the discussion heated up, something important built up inside me. All the emotions from the KnightWear shoot, the raw vulnerability I'd experienced, the lessons I'd learned about being true to yourself—it all came rushing to the surface.

“Okay, you two, listen up,” I heard myself say, my voice ringing out clear and strong. All eyes turned to me, surprise evident on their faces. I rarely raised my voice like this.

“There will never be a perfect solution. There is no such thing as perfect. Relationships are all about compromise, and you two are the worst at compromising I've ever seen. You'll compromise to make the other person happy, but not yourselves? What the hell?”

I found myself pacing the room, my voice rising with each word. “You're already defying expectations by refusing to allow the other to give up their dreams for you. Everyone would expect Willa to give up her life to be with Hayes because it's always the women who follow the players in football. They give up everything for us. But you two have already said that's not what you're going to do.”

I marched right up to Hayes and Willa, my eyes blazing. “I've been trying to tell all of you lovesick fools that you needto be true to yourselves. Stop trying to fulfill everyone else's expectations of what they think you should be or how your relationship should look. All of you need to get your heads out of your asses and go after what you actually want the most.”

With a final huff, I stormed out of the room, leaving a stunned silence in my wake. As I stepped outside, the cool air hitting my face, I took a deep breath. I hadn't meant to explode like that but seeing Hayes and Willa struggle under the weight of all these expectations, I'd never missed my mom more.

We all needed her advice right now.

I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. Maybe I'd gone too far. But after everything I'd been through, everything I'd learned about being true to yourself and embracing vulnerability, I couldn't stand by and watch them make those kinds of mistakes.

The door creaked open, and Penelope stepped out, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of concern and pride.

“Hey,” she said softly, coming to stand beside me. “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.”

Her words hit me hard, and I intertwined our fingers. This moment with Penelope felt more real than any carefully curated image I'd ever tried to maintain. “That's the man I always want to be for you.”

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