“Really?”
“Absolutely. Everyone with half a brain cell knows you were a victim, not a perpetrator. I hear the school is lawyering up for a defense. They might try some scare tactics, but don’t fall for any of it. Where’s Atticus?”
“Here,” Atticus says, resting beside me. I turn my phone toward him so she can see him.
“Atti, you poor thing.” Ambertsks. “Glad you’re coming back home to get repaired.”
“We didn’t have much choice. The closest repair depot was a BioNex retailer,” I say, resting my hand on Atticus’s knee. “Couldn’t stand the thought of them putting a chip back in him.”
“Well, make sure you showcase your man plenty, either way. He’s a hero. People want to see him. Atticus, you’re a household name right now.”
“That wouldn’t be the case without your help. I can’t thank you enough, Amber,” I say quietly. “For having our backs on this.”
“Don’t thank me,” Amber says sternly. “I’m just doing what any decent friend would do. Check this out. I’m tracking my story on every outlet. I’ve got my assistant tracking it too. She let me know we’ve got three hashtags trending.”
“What are they?” I ask and lean against Atticus.
“We’ve got #LetAtticusLove, #WeLoveLucy, and #FreeAtticus. You’re so popular with the bicentennial generation, all the smear campaigns out there just aren’t working.”
Amber shifts her focus off-screen, adjusting the watch on her wrist. “And when you’re up for it, I’ll do an exclusive interview with the two of you. We can undo all the damage done in an hour. Our subscribers are already sympathetic. Let’s get them on board the Lutticus train for good.”
”Lutticus?” I ask, squinting.
“You’re celebrities now, so the entertainment outlets branded you Lutticus. It’s a little cringe, but it comes with the territory. I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I have to go—let me know if you hear anything about that private investigator. I know the police are keeping it under wraps, but I’m dying to find out who hired them to take photos of you.”
“Thanks again. Love you.”
“Love you too! Talk later.” She disconnects.
I hand Atticus my phone. “Do me a favor and chuck that across the room for me.”
Atticus tentatively takes it. “You sure? I might break it.”
“All right, gently then.”
Atticus tosses my phone harmlessly to the couch, where it lands with a flop. “I can’t wait until my repairs are finished,” he admits. “I want to kiss you normally again. With a full pair of lips that work.”
“I don’t care.” I kiss him deeply anyway, tilting his head back and begin grinding in his lap. I feel more likemyselfagain, happy and there were no secrets to keep, no shame for me to carry. “You could stay like this until the end of time, and it wouldn’t matter to me.”
“Really?” His expression brightens, and he beams at me.
“Really. You’re like a hero from from one of my grandmother’s old romance novels.”
I reach down between us to palm his groin and he hardens.Initializing, he calls it, which always makes me giggle. He’s already working off my clothes, but something makes me pause, and I gently grasp his wrists.
“I love you,” I say, stopping as it suddenly hits me. “I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to say it. But I do. I love you, Atticus.”
His entire body seems to freeze as he blinks at me, his smile broadening into true elation. Atticus kisses me, then takes my hand, kissing every finger, every knuckle slowly until he grasps my hands to his chest. “I’ve always loved you, Lucy. Since my first awakening. It was only ever you.”
Even after everything that’s happened, he still knows precisely what to say to make me soar higher than I ever have before. Maybe, for once, I can repay that favor.
“No more secrets, no more hiding it. I’ll scream it from the window, from my front door. From mountaintops. There are mountains in Illinois somewhere, right?”
“Somewhere,” Atticus agrees with a grin. “A few in southern Illinois, but they’re a little small.”
I have so much energy. I have to get up off my feet. Walk around. Pace. “Then we’ll go on a roadtrip and find a bigger one and I’ll shout it from there. We can go anywhere we want, right?”
“Right.” Atticus reaches for me. “Come back here.”
