Page 3 of Can't Help Falling

“Uncle Tyler always says I can ask him anything!” Matty protested indignantly.

Tyler waved his hand at Seb. “It’s fine. He’s right. The kid can ask me anything.” He focused his attention back on Matty. “But for the record, your dad is right. That’s not something you should go around asking people. And also for the record, yes, as far as I know, I’m perfectly able to have kids if I wanted. I just don’t want to.”

Matty narrowed his eyes at Tyler. “But why not?”

Tyler sighed. Matty could be like a puppy with a slice of dropped bologna. He knew it was best to just answer. “To tell you the truth, I don’t like kids very much.”

Matty’s lips pushed out indignantly. “You like me.”

“That’s true. I like you. Also, I love you. But you don’t count.”

“I don’t count? Why?”

“I don’t know. Because you’re cool. And because I knew you when you were the size of that chihuahua over there. You were just a tiny, whiny baby and so helpless that I just had to love you. It wasn’t my fault that I loved you.”

“So...you’re not ever gonna be a dad?”

“Not if I can help it, kid.” There was a beat of silence and Tyler felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and dance the hula. Dammit. He was too aware of her. He resisted the urge to smooth them down.

Tyler glanced back down at Matty and frowned. He wondered for a moment why the sudden font of questions. All because it was Parent Day at a Cyclones game?

“What makes you so curious all of a sudden?” Tyler asked, nudging Matty with his elbow.

Matty shrugged sullenly, pulling his own hat down this time.

This was new. The Matty that Tyler knew was always effusive and sweet and guilelessly talkative. Tyler sighed. All sorts of things were changing.

Joy leaned around Matty, looking nervous, but joining in the conversation for the first time. “We were just talking about cousins is all. I have a lot of them.”

“And I don’t have any,” Matty cut in, sounding like he’d woken up on Christmas morning to discover he’d gotten graph paper and mechanical pencils when the rest of his friends had gotten trips to Disney World.

“Ah.” The pieces fell into place. “But if I had kids, you’d consider them your cousins.”

Matty shrugged again. A little less sullen, a little more sheepish.

At a loss for what to say, Tyler would have turned around to Sebastian for the assist, but he didn’t want to face Via, the woman with all the answers when it came to kids, or Serafine, who’d laser off his manhood with one haughty glance.

“Good thing you have Joy, then,” Tyler said. “She’s as good as family.” He nudged Matty again and then leaned toward Joy. “And for the record, Joy, Matty’s not the only kid I like. You’re pretty cool too. And my little sister. She’s older than you guys by a few years, but I like her too.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding solemnly and looking relieved.

“Besides,” Tyler continued, looking down at Matty, “you’re as close to a kid as I’ll ever get, Matlock. So, in a way, you’re kind of like your own cousin.”

Matty pursed his lips, but this time Tyler saw that it was to hide a smile he wasn’t quite ready to give up. “That’s weird, Uncle Ty.”

Tyler shrugged. “Life is weird, my friend. The sooner you learn the better.”

They fell back into the rhythm of the game, Matty’s good mood restoring, especially when a pop fly landed three rows in front of them, the kids scrambling down to get it and missing it by a hair.

Tyler rolled his eyes at the middle-aged man who snatched it up for himself and held it up to the booing crowd.

But the near miss didn’t damper Matty’s spirits; he was back and buoyed by the joy of the game.

Tyler, however, was bothered. He was bothered by the conversation between him and Matty, by Serafine’s gnawingly hot presence behind him. By the fact that he hadn’t gotten a minute alone to chat with Sebastian the entire day. The sun was pleasantly warm and the breeze was refreshing, but still, Tyler felt itchy and hot, like he was wearing a Tyler Leshuski bodysuit, like he’d had to put on a Him costume to join this family outing and it wasn’t fitting right.

Antsy, his leg jumped in his seat.

“I’m grabbing more snacks,” Tyler said, rising up. “Anyone need anything?”

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