He’d gotten used to Alicia being excited when he arrived, to her peppering him with questions about his work and telling him about her college plans. He’d gotten used to mattering to someone, and the absence of that felt like a wound reopening. It came to a head three weeks before Alicia was scheduled to leave. Nathan had driven in on a Friday evening as usual, but instead of the warm welcome he’d come to expect, Alicia barely looked up from her textbook when he arrived.
She excused herself after dinner, claiming she had to finish an assignment, and Nathan was left sitting on the porch with Marcus, trying not to show how much it stung. “She’s scared,” Marcus said quietly, not looking at Nathan. “About leaving, about college, about all of it.” “I know. I just wish she’d talk to me about it.” “Give her time. She’ll come around.”
But time passed, and Alicia stayed distant, and Nathan’s old anxieties began creeping back in. He’d let himself believe he was part of this family, but maybe he’d been fooling himself. Maybe they’d just been tolerating him out of gratitude, and now that Alicia was leaving, they didn’t need him anymore.
On a Tuesday afternoon, Nathan called Marcus to cancel his weekend visit, claiming work obligations. Marcus didn’t push, just said he understood, but Nathan could hear the disappointment in his voice. That evening, Nathan sat in his penthouse staring at the city lights and feeling the familiar emptiness creeping back in. He’d been stupid to let himself get attached. People always left eventually. Better to pull away now before the rejection became unbearable.
His phone rang. Marcus. “Hello?” “What’s really going on, Nathan?” “I told you, work stuff. It’s a busy time.” “Bull. I’ve known you six months now. I know when you’re running away from something.” Nathan closed his eyes. “I’m not running.” “Yes, you are, and I think I know why. You think Alicia pulling away means we don’t want you here anymore.”
“She’s been avoiding me for weeks.” “Because she’s scared she’s just a replacement daughter for you.” Marcus’s voice was gentle but firm. “She’s scared that you’re only being nice to her because you lost your mama and she’s filling that hole. She’s scared that if she leaves for college, you won’t need her anymore, and this whole thing will fall apart.”
Nathan felt like he’d been punched. “That’s not—I don’t think of her as a replacement. I care about her because she’s Alicia, not because she reminds me of anyone else.” “I know that. You know that, but she’s seventeen and about to leave home for the first time, and teenagers aren’t always rational. She needs to hear it from you.”