Page 30 of Sinful in Scrubs

“Well, thank you for dinner,” she said, her voice warm. “And for letting me crash your family time. It was… nice.”

“You’re welcome anytime,” I said, meaning every word. “Do you need me to call you a cab?”

“I’m a big girl,” she said with a soft smile. “I’ve lived in the city for a while. I can get myself home.”

“Well, at least let me call you a cab,” I insisted.

“That, I’ll let you do.”

I stepped outside with her to wait for the cab I’d called. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of the city and the distant hum of traffic. We stood there in silence for a moment, the space between us charged with something unspoken.

“Goodnight, Emma,” I said as the cab pulled up.

“Goodnight, Marcus,” she said, her eyes meeting mine.

I watched as the cab drove away, a strange mix of hope and longing settling in my chest. Whatever had happened tonight, it felt like the beginning of something.

But not everyone in the house shared my optimism.

As soon as I stepped back inside, I was met with Lily’s glare.

“I cannot believe you invited that woman over here,” she said, her tone dripping with accusation.

“Lily, it was just dinner,” I said, already bracing for the argument I knew was coming.

“Just dinner?” she repeated, her voice rising. “You invited her into our house, Dad. How could you do that?”

“Lily, listen?—”

“No! You don’t get to tell me to listen!” she shouted. “You’re betraying Mom, and you don’t even care!”

“Lily, that’s not fair,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “This has nothing to do with betraying your mom. Emma is a colleague. That’s all.”

“Don’t lie to me!” she snapped. “She’s not just a colleague. You like her!”

I hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“I can’t believe you,” Lily said, tears welling in her eyes. “You’re just… replacing her.”

Her words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. “Lily, that’s not true,” I said, my voice heavy with emotion. “No one could ever replace your mom.”

“Then why are you doing this?” she demanded.

“I’m not doing anything, Lily,” I said, my voice almost breaking. Lily’s accusations hit hard. I missed Blair every single day, and I was doing the best I could to keep it all together. But I was still alive, and lonely, and Emma sparked something in me that I thought had died with Blair. I couldn’t tell Lily any of that. It wouldn’t be fair to dump my burden on my child. It was my responsibility to take hers from her shoulders. I was the parent and Lily was my child, not my therapist or confidant.

Lily stared at me, her expression a mix of anger and hurt. Then she turned and stormed up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

I stood there for a long time, the sound of the door echoing in my ears.

Jason poked his head out from the living room, his expression cautious. “Dad?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Are you okay?”

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. Go back to your movie.”

He nodded, disappearing back into the living room.

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