The Muse's Undoing

“You okay?” Nicole calls out.

“Yeah,” I say, borderline humiliated.

“You want some muffin, Dad?”

“I’m okay, bud.”

Matty runs a hand down my back and I hang my head as I try to work out the kink in my knee. “Is it a spasm, or…?”

“It’s more like a hitch. I don’t know—like something’s caught on something.”

“Can I rub it?”

“No, it should loosen up in a second. I’m sorry.”

His hand rests on the back of my neck as Nicole comes to stand in front of me. Matthew’s fingertips graze my hairline and I get chills.

“You sure you’re up for this?” she asks, indicating Vaughn with a tilt of her head.

“He’s okay,” Matthew says.

I look up to find her giving him a tight smile. “You gonna be here?”

“If that’s okay,” he says.

“Of course,” she says. “It’s not my apartment anymore. Sorry about the wall, by the way. Do you have an estimate yet?”

“Don’t worry about it. I was planning to repaint anyway,” I lie.

“Oh. Well. Still. I feel bad.”

“Are there more muffins, Matty?”

“We can get more.”

“I should go,” Nicole says, her gaze lingering on Matthew’s hand on my neck a moment longer. “Looks like you’re both in good hands. But call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, Nic.”

“I feel like I should get the door for you,” Matty jokes, which makes her laugh.

She gives Vaughn a hug and kiss before she leaves. My knee conveniently starts working again. “Now what do I do?” I ask Matthew.

He runs a hand over my hair and gives my neck a squeeze. “I say we grab some more muffins and go to the zoo.”

“The zoo?”

We glance at Vaughn. “Is that okay?” I ask him, near panic.

He leaps out of his chair, arm shouting above his head. “Yes!”

Whether Matthew wants to spend time with Vaughn or he’s just in protective mode because I almost ate it in my living room, he’s still around after I tuck my son into bed.

The day went well, overall, but only because I wasn’t alone. Even at bedtime, when Vaughn asked to talk to his mom, Matthew came in with my phone and suggested FaceTime.

He’s been saving my ass all day. I genuinely don’t think I could’ve gotten through it without him. I leave Vaughn’s room to tell him that, but he speaks first.

“If you had a TV, we could watch a show,” he says.