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She pulls back after a minute and sighs. “We still have to fix the Damien situation.”
“Graham and Eleanor will be here this evening. We’ll handle that then. In the meantime, let’s get this video recorded and prepare for the press conference. I can’t wait to have you at my side.”
“I’m not stepping on any toes, am I? I meant what I said about not wanting special treatment.”
“Steve was telling the truth. You earned this.”
“I feel like I’m in a dream,” she murmurs. “No, that’s not right. A dream and a nightmare. Life keeps throwing me between the two.”
“Soon, it’ll just be a dream, our perfect dream, for the rest of our lives. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She hugs me, pressing her cheek against my chest. “I freakingloveyou. How does that feel so natural to say?”
“Because we’ve loved each other since the start.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sera
I wait in a small room next to the large function hall where the press conference is being held. My heart beats wildly as I try to convince myself this is real. It started in Vegas with a spilled coffee… and now I’m about to talk to the entire world, with NeuroDrive’s blessing, about an idea that only warranted a tiny speech at CES. I’ve gone from the Z league to the A league in record breaking time.
Luke walks in, dashing in his black suit and perfectly coiffed hair.
“You look great,” he says.
I tug at my pencil skirt. “Is it too tight?”
He smirks. “If it was too tight, I wouldn’t let you go out there.” He touches his pocket.
“Oh, really? And why’s that?”
He grabs my hip, awakening instincts that make me want to forget all about the press conference.
“You know why…”
It takes an effort, but I press my hand against him and gently guide him away. “If we kiss, I won’t be able to think of anything else.”
“I hear that.” He touches his pocket again.
“Why do you keep doing that?” I ask.
“Huh?”
I grin. “What do you mean,huh? You keep touching your pocket.”
“Do I?” He seems distracted. “We should get going. Are you ready?”
He takes my hand and leads me toward the door.
Reporters fill the room, cameras aimed at the stage clicking and beeping as we approach it hand in hand. We’re in the main conference room, with floor-to-ceiling windows that show NeuroDrive’s public plaza, the fountain catching the light.
It’s easier to focus on the outside than in here, all these people…
No, screw that. Hello, big leagues. I’m ready for you.
I stand up straighter, looking at like I belong because incredibly I do.
We approach the stage together, and Luke takes the microphone. “Many of you have been following… shall we call it, the saga of NeuroDrive since the suspension of my keynote speech at CES. As you can see from the video uploaded to our social media earlier today, we have made substantial progress in not only fixing the problem, but improving the self-driving AI algorithm…”