A Muse Her

Chapter 12

Mateo yawned, shuffling out of his bedroom while he messaged the young ranch hand he employed to look after his animals while he was gone. He tucked his phone into his back pocket and peeked his head into the guest bedroom on his way to the kitchen on the off chance Maia managed to drag herself to bed and wasn't surprised to find the room empty.

He padded into the kitchen to start the coffee maker before he moved on to the office where he found Maia rubbing her temples and his heart clenched at the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Maia, what's wrong?"

"I...I hit a wall," she cried into her hands. "I don't...I don't know where this story is going."

"Hey," Mateo cooed, crossing the room and crouching down beside her. "It's alright."

"No it's not," she said, angrily wiping her tears away. "I wrote one chapter and it doesn't even make sense."

"I think you need to get some sleep," he said, rubbing her back. "Do you want me to take you home? Maybe staying here wasn't a good idea."

"No, it's not that. I can write anywhere, but I..." her lip trembled as she looked over at him. "I can't get the words out," she said, bursting into tears again.

Mateo's heart sank at the anguish in her voice. The words will come to you," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "You had a hard day yesterday and you're exhausted, Maia," he said, massaging the back of her neck. "Let me take you to bed."

"No," she sobbed, clenching his shirt between her fingers. "I'm going to f-fall behind again."

"You can't write while you're upset like this either," he said, hooking his arm under her legs and lifting her up from the chair. "And I'm taking you to bed."

"That's not going to help me," she said, pressing her face against his neck as her tears dampened his skin. "I lost my flow. It's gone."

"You're just tired," he said, carrying her down the hall to the guest room. "It's not gone," he said, lying her down on the bed.

"It is," she said, covering her face with her hands. "This book is going to be terrible just like my last one."

"You put a lot of pressure on yourself," Mateo said, pulling the blankets back and tucking her in. "Your last book was good and this one will be too."

She sniffed, hugging the blankets to her chest. "How would you know?"

"Because I read your last one and I loved it," he said, sliding his hand to her cheek and wiping away her tears. "And if you want, I'll read what you've written so far if it'll make you feel better."

"Would you?"

"Yes, as long as you promise me you'll get some sleep."

She sighed. "I'll try."

"That's good enough for me," he said, leaning away from her. "I'm going to get you some water and some tissues."

"Thank you," she murmured. "I'm sorry I'm a mess."

"It's alright. I understand," he said, standing as he padded into the ensuite bathroom. By the time he came back with a glass of water and a box of tissues, Maia was curled up under the blankets fast asleep.

A smile tugged at his lips as he sat the glass and tissues on the bedside table and he leaned over her to brush a wayward curl from her face. "Sleep tight, liefje," he whispered.

Mateo slipped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him and heaved a sigh. He had a feeling she wasn't in the right headspace to work last night, but Maia was good at putting on a brave face.