Chapter 41

I sniffed the air subtly as Steve's scent of storm-soaked oak and cedar resin filled the kitchen. "Paige?" I lifted my face to see Steve looking at me with a creased forehead. He turned the light on and his gaze shifted to the bottle of liquor in front of me. He shot an eyebrow up before looking into my eyes, his hazel-green eyes shifting from gold to moss in the dim kitchen light. "It's already 2 AM. Why are you drinking?" I shook my head. "Nothing. I just can't sleep. Why are you still awake?" He sat in front of me. "I fell asleep waiting for you. What time did you come home?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Past midnight?" He nodded. "I'm not gonna ask where you went since it's very obvious that you were with Noah. Paige, you know what you're doing right?" I lazily smiled at him. "I know, Steve. I'm sorry for lying." He shook his head and held my hand over the table. "You don't need to apologize, Paige. There's nothing to apologize for. It's your freedom to lie whenever you want. But plea