Page 81 of Lie for a Lie

“Seth didn’t give two shits about fucking Kat for years, and I still think he won’t give two shits now. You and I both know he hasn’t been faithful to that girl at some point over the past few months.”

I blink, slightly confused, before Clint explains how everything played out last night. It is like a blow to the gut. She knows, and I am so pissed at myself for not telling her the whole truth of our complicated history.

“I’d have to tell her everything. I have to tell her about Seth and Kat.”

“He has had plenty of time to come clean about it, but we both know he won’t. So, if you don’t want to lose this woman, you have to give her what Seth won’t, and that is some truth. She can handle it.”

Clint is right.

“I know,” I whisper before clearing the lump in my throat.

“Come on, let’s go get a few drinks,” Clint says with a smile before standing from the counter and grabbing his keys .

I smile and nod in defeat before we get an Uber and head to Clint’s favorite bar nearby.

Chapter 40

Paige

Iam ten hours into my twelve-hour shift when my phone begins to vibrate. I ignore it like I have been on and off all day. I need space after what happened with Graham last night.

My contract ends in a few weeks, and I have been toying with staying local instead of traveling. Now, I don’t want to leave Graham. Even though we haven’t slept together yet, I know last night is just the beginning of whatever is happening between us.

I don’t know what else to do. I close my eyes and think about how I ended up craving a life with someone twisted up in a reality where we both are with other people. We long for each other, but neither is ready to leave our current circumstances.

I need to work a few things out before letting Graham love me the way I know he does. I know I am not supposed to be with a man who never asks about my past. Never wonder about my day, my goals, and my dreams. A man who can be honest even when he knows it might hurt me.

My phone vibrates again in my pocket, and I sigh as I reach for it. My favorite picture of all six of us is on my lock screen from one of our many dinners at Clint’s. I have two missed FaceTime calls and a few text messages from Graham.

Graham: Are you working?

I may be drinking too much.

You are so beautiful. I miss you all the time.

I loved holding you last night. I hated you were gone this morning.

I’m sorry.

I linger on the last message, honestly confused. I send him only one reply.

Me: I’m off at one a.m. I can meet you. Send me your location. I’ll drive you home.

I look through the rest of my messages and calls, seeing that Seth hasn’t even attempted to contact me today since all of his bullshit at Clint’s. The problem is that the longer he is silent, the more I realize he thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong. I try not to think about it too much as I hurry to discharge my last two patients.

The bar Graham has sent me the address to is only about ten minutes from the hospital and is a favorite of many firefighters around town.

I touch my swollen stitched lip and reflect on the chaos of that thirty-six hours and everything that happened.

I pull out my phone to text Graham before grabbing my wallet from my backpack and shoving the bag behind my passenger seat. Pulling down the visor, I take a quick peek at myself. Thankfully, I haven’t rubbed off all my eye makeup during my shift. I’ll take that as a win. I have on my favorite olive-green scrubs and my dutch braids are intact. I lock my car door before heading towards the entrance of the bar, sliding my keys and cell phone into my pocket.

Giving the bouncer a soft smile, I ask, “By any chance, have you seen a devastatingly handsome man about six two moping around here?”

With a small smile, she points toward the open end of the bar, and I can see Graham,

“Thanks.”

Smiling, I slip her some cash from my wallet. She nods in appreciation, and I walk towards the bar. Graham sits alone at the end with about eight empty, varying-sized glasses scattered. He doesn’t notice me until I pull the barstool beside his. He smiles the sweetest drunk smile I have ever seen, grinning from ear to ear.

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