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For once, Matt didn't work late that day and was home before sunset, not because he didn't have any pending work to do, but because there was something else keeping his mind busy.
He took pleasure in Karen's scent as soon as he arrived in his apartment building. She had texted him shortly after her 3:00 p.m. appointment announcing she'd be taking the rest of the day off. It was unusual for her to text him instead of sending a voice message, and even more unusual to leave early, so he called her back to ask her if something was wrong, but he just became more puzzled after that because she cut him off quickly.
When he walked into the apartment everything seemed normal except for the smell of whiskey coming from the bedroom. They enjoyed having a drink together after dinner every now and then, but a glass of Jameson at 5:30 pm was another sign that something was going on. He reached their bedroom door and found her curled up around a pillow with her cell phone a few inches from her hand. Although she was no longer crying, he was able to catch a whiff of the dry tears on her face. He approached the bed without her even acknowledging him and that concerned him even more.
"Hi, sweetheart," he greeted her with a soft tone and sat by her side while running his fingers through her hair. All the signs she was giving him told him to give her space, but he had a feeling that she actually needed him to get closer. He had been there too before.
Karen stretched up a bit and turned to him.
"Hi. I didn't expect you to come home so early," she said, a warm feeling building up inside her chest after he kissed her forehead.
"I was worried about you. What's wrong?" he asked and started getting rid of his clothes to join her on the bed.
She took a deep breath, put the pillow back on the head of the bed and pulled the sheet over her shoulders, an unconscious action that reflected her desire to disappear.
"I got a message from my dad today."
"You did?" Matt was surprised and almost annoyed. She had been in this exact state a few months ago after receiving an Undeliverable Package notice from the postal office. The man hadn't accepted a simple Christmas card from her, so he wondered why he had decided to contact her now. "Is he alright?"
"Not really. He said he was going through a rough time, that he wouldn't be bothering if it wasn't serious, that he really needed my help."
"He wanted money," Matt said drily.
"Yeap."
It was a delicate matter and Matt didn't say anything for a moment. He always tried to think before speaking about Paxton. Truth was he despised the guy, but he could also understand how Karen felt far too well because he was, after all, her father.
He finished undressing and made his way under the sheet to cuddle her. He held her against his chest and briefly pecked on her lips.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'd help him if he told me what exactly was happening."
"Did he?"
"Of course he didn't. He's too stubborn to admit he screwed up, especially to me. I just don't know why I let it affect me so much"
He could hear the sadness in her broken voice so he started rubbing her back, his fingers getting tangled in her silky hair. There was nothing he could do to help her heal her family wounds, but at least he could be there for her and he'd hug her and kiss her tears away whenever she needed it.
"Because he's your father and you care for him. There's nothing wrong with that," he tried to comfort her. "So what did you do?"
"I deposited some money for him anyway. I went to the bank right after I left the office," she said, a little embarrassed. "Can you believe he hasn't even sent a thank you note? I feel so stupid."
"Hey, you're not stupid for helping him. What if he's sick or something?"
"Oh my God, what if he is? I hadn't even thought about that."
"You did your part, baby. Eventually he will take the next step if he ever wants you back in his life. Try not to think about it too much. It makes me sad when you're like this."
"I guess you're right," she admitted with a sigh and adjusted her head to nuzzle his nose. "What would I do without you?"
"You'd probably be having fun with some other regular guy," he joked.
"Why would I want some regular guy? I have you."
"You'll always have me," he told her, kissing her lips again.
"I know," she whispered.
Karen's cell phone buzzed and Matt extended his arm to grab the device and hand it to her. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes nearly watered when she saw the screen.
"I owe you one, honey. I hope I can thank you in person one day," she read out loud and gave Matt a confused look. Was her father suddenly pretending things were well between them? The message was definitely more than she expected, and while it may have given her some hope, she couldn’t help but feel upset about it too.
"Give it time," he said, still rubbing her back.
He was probably right. She had no energy to think about anything, so she put her phone on the night table along with her mixed feelings and shrank back into Matt's arms, the only place where she felt like life made sense. She buried her face on his chest, intertwined her legs with his and their toes began playing gently. He couldn't fix her problems, just like she couldn't fix his, but they could lean on each other and that alone made everything much more bearable.