But then I bounce back up, and the womb is there. I feel it breathing. I hear the sloshing of fluid inside. If there was a life floating within the fluid, I would feel it, sense it, be connected to it.
“How are you?”
Devlin’s standing beside me now. My lids flutter as I breathe through the new connection that’s formed with the old one being cast away.
“Blair?” His pitch goes up. “You okay?”
I grin from ear to ear. “You did it. It worked.”
He drops his arms onto the table and bends down, placing his chin between the valley of his forearms. “What do you feel?”
“All of it.” I wiggle my fingers and toes, just to make sure that it’s all real. “I’m completely connected to the womb. I sense all of it.”
He smiles and it makes my heart heat up with cozy fire-like warmth. “That’s fantastic!” Devlin turns his head, giving mea full view of his beautifully corded neck and profile. “Hands? How’s it looking from where you are?”
We get another thumbs-up!
Devlin rises and slaps his hands on the table. “You did it! We did it! But before we celebrate,” he adds, cooling his jets, “I want to make sure it’s stable. Let’s watch you for at least an hour. Then we’ll break the connection.”
I quirk a brow. “And after that?”
He winks. “After that, we’ll celebrate.”
26
An hour later, Devlin cut the connection.
The invention was a success! At least temporarily. There would have to be more testing, but this was heading in the right direction.
He was elated. So was I.
He claps his hands. “What are we doing to celebrate?”
My phone dings and a reminder pops up. I groan. “Oh. I can’t.”
His entire body drops, and I feel awful for forgetting about this. “What?”
I scroll down my phone. “I have plans. Feylin and Addison are throwing a dinner party.”
“Oh.” He slumps against the wall in his living room. He’s surrounded by all his inventions. It’s very impressive. Makes me feel like I haven’t been doing anything with my life. Like maybe I should be inventing a pocket cauldron or something. Oh wait, Devlin already did that.
But he looks so sad, like a lost puppy dog. Can’t have that, not on such an important day. “Why don’t you come with me?”
He stretches his arms over his head, touching the top of the doorframe. His shirt rides up, revealing a trail of dark golden hair that disappears down into his pants. “You sure?”
I rip my gaze away. “Yeah. I don’t think they’d mind, and it’ll be fun. You like Feylin and Addison, right?”
“Very much.”
“Then come with me. Be at the house at five. That’s when we’re leaving.”
He gives me a questioning look. “You’re sure? You’re inviting me to do something with your family. You realize that.”
I smirk. “Of course I realize that. So come. They’d love to see you. And I”—butterflies flutter in my stomach, so I look down—“I’d like for you to be there.”
My cheeks are burning when I lift my head and see him studying me. He blinks, breaking his gaze, and flashes his lopsided smile. “All right. Pick you up at five.”
I roll my eyes. “You won’t be picking me up. We’ll all be going together.”
