Courting Guinevere (The Davonshire Series Book 1)

by Olivia Gaines

  “No, my love, it can go on the guest bed in the new house that I am going have built for you!”

  “I think I just had an orgasm.”

  Guinevere laughed loudly, “Don’t you drop our future kids on the floor!”

  Gawain laughed loudly. “I can make more….”

  “So all kidding aside. We are really doing this?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Dr. Devonshire, PhD. And to make sure you don’t get away, I want to take you to Vegas and get married on Thursday. Are there any special requests on your diamond wedding rings, any particular cut?”

  “I will leave it to my future husband to decide. By the by, my ring finger is a size 7… Wait, what?”

  “I plan to marry you on Thursday.”

  “But what about our parents and the wedding?”

  “Let them plan the wedding, I am planning the marriage.”

  “We are getting married on Thursday?”

  “Yep! When I lie down next to you, I am going to bed with my wife and waking up next to my wife. When I introduce you to my family, I am introducing you as my wife. Besides if we conceive earlier than anticipated I don’t want our kids conceived in sin.”

  Guinevere’s brow was furrowed, “Wait, what?”

  “It has been 11 months – that is almost a year, Guinevere, I am feeling potent!”

  She threw her head back in laughed. “I will see you on Thursday. Until then, Mr. Devonshire.”

  “Can I ask for the words, Mrs. Devonshire?”

  “Yes, and I will give them. I love you, Mr. Devonshire,” she told him.

  Gawain exhaled. “And I love you.”

  He hung up the phone and checked his arms. She had said the L word to him and he was not at all itchy. He had said it back to her and there were no goose pimples or splotchy rashes.

  Damn, I am in love. He lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling.

  I am actually in love.

  Wait.

  I am getting married!

  En Guard you smelly ass dragon!

  He grabbed his phone and called Chuck to make his flight arrangements. Next he called his sister and begged her assistance in picking the rings, “I would like three choices when I arrive in New York tomorrow. Can you help me with that, sis?”

  He followed that call up by running down the stairs to find his mother and share his news. “Hey! Everyone, Mom, Dad, I’m getting married!” Then he had to shake his dad’s hand, “Her dad likes to fish as well, so you will soon be getting a new fishing buddy, Dad!”

  His father was pleased that his son was finally happy. “Son, to make sure you win him over, you need to bring him something special.” His father disappeared into his study and returned with two brand new fishing poles, “Give the man these as a gift, and you will be his best buddy forever.”

  Gawain accepted the tokens and looked around the kitchen, so many things to do in such a short period of time. Bigger things loomed in the balance.

  He made the final call to his assistant. There were very specific things that needed to happen in a certain order. “Rod, can you handle this request?”

  Rod, his assistant of seven years responded, “Consider it done.”

  40

  My Fair Lady

  She hung up the phone and began to twirl around the room with DJD the Shirt in an embrace. She then started into a salsa routine, pleased at the progress she had made in such a short time.

  By this time Thursday, she would be doing this dance in his arms. Her heart began to race.

  Mrs. DJ Devonshire.

  She would be Mrs. Devonshire.

  She would have a house, and he would do yard work and show up to take her out to lunch. Children. She would have babies! She balled up the shirt and stuck it under her tee, modeling in the mirror how she would look pregnant.

  How was she going to tell her parents that this was happening and happening fast? First, Raleigh on Wednesday and dinner with her parents. Then on to Atlanta and an interview with the CDC.

  “Oh my God!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “I am getting married!”

  41

  Sharpening the Lance

  Gawain was very pleased with the ring selections his sister made. Vanity chose a Jay Gilbert Charisma cut diamond that was surrounded with light green emeralds and green diamonds. The matching band was a simple gold ring with eleven alternating light green diamonds – one for each month they had been together. The final diamond was a white one to symbolize a yearlong quest of love. He thought it was a little sappy, but his sister said she would think it romantic.

  He stayed in New York for the evening, enjoying a wonderful dinner with his sister, catching up on her life and meeting her new love interest. He thought this one was a B-list acting douche bag as well. One of the calls he made to Rod was going to also change his sister’s life and well as his brother’s. Change was good. They both were going to have to adjust to him being out of their lives. Besides, they were both going to be too busy with what he had put in place for their companies to even miss him.

  He hugged Vanity close and gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I am proud of you, Vain One, but I am moving forward. You may not see me much.”

  Gawain told her, “I will only be a phone call away if you need me and we will keep a room in the house ready for you whenever you want to visit or crash.”

  “Junior, I’m a grown woman, and I run one of the most profitable companies in the world. I am good, big brother, you have done well. Go, enjoy your life.” She kissed him back and pushed him out the door. Calling after him, she said, “The honeymoon is on me. Just give me a date.”

  He smiled. “Nope, I got it covered. I may need to borrow your plane though.”

  Vanity grabbed him one last time and held him close, “I love you so much and am so grateful to you. For everything you have done for me.”

  “Everything I did, I did out of love. You deserve everything you have. It’s time to start enjoying some of your hard work.”

  With those words, he climbed into the cab and headed to meet Chuck at the airport.

  His second stop was Princeton, New Jersey, to visit Affinity Labs. Before leaving New York, Gawain stopped at an exquisite chocolatier on Fifth Avenue to pick up a box of something special. Using the GPS in the rental car, he located a bakery close to the labs and popped in for a dozen bagels and a dozen donuts.

  Locating the labs was relatively easy but getting inside was another matter altogether. He was dressed as a pharmaceutical rep and hoped the deep-gray Brooks Brothers suit with baby blue shirt would get him in the door. If not, the food would. He was stopped by the receptionist, and he stated that he had an appointment with Dr. Cecily Murphy.

  She quickly called Guinevere’s sister, who asked who the visitor was. The receptionist looked at him. He smiled. “Please tell her Gawain is here to see her.” There must have been some expletives on the other line, for the desk clerk pulled the phone from her ear and smiled cordially. “She will be with you shortly.”

  She arrived three seconds later, out of breath and somewhat frazzled. He turned slowly and flashed her a set of perfect pearly whites, allowing his dimples to come into full play. It was his intention to win over Guinevere’s sister in a big way.

  He extended his hand. “Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice, Dr. Murphy.” She stared at his face, and then his eyes, his mouth, his goatee, his shirt, the cut of his suit, and looked him over all the way down to his shoes.

  Gawain did not balk. “I brought breakfast for the staff, if we can head to your office for a bit of privacy…”

  She released his hand, and he extended the other asking quietly for her to lead the way – still she had not spoken. His eyes assessed every inch of the lab from the workers and the workspace to the cleaning room and the centrifuges – which all reminded him of a sci-fi movie where the Ebola virus had escaped and it was up to the scientists to manufacturer a cure.

  Cecily’s office was directly across the h
all from Guinevere’s. He stopped at her door and lingered there for a minute, taking it all in.

  Gawain arched his brows, silently asking if he could enter. Cecily said, “Of course … please go in, but don’t touch anything.”

  He opened the door and walked into her world of science. The walls were adorned with her degrees in science and medicine, alongside photos with high profile people he also knew, had met, and respected. He touched her chair where her lab jacket draped across the back.

  Gawain could feel Cecily’s eyes on him and he turned abruptly, startling her. “Enough of that, huh? If I could have a minute of your time.”

  Cecily eyed him suspiciously and indicated he should follow her.

  “So, what is this about, Sir Gawain?” she crossed her hands across her midriff with her elbows resting on the arms of the chair with a school principal type of air that for a second intimidated him.

  He flashed her that smile again, which put her at ease. “I wanted you to meet me, look in my eyes, shake my hand, and ask any questions you may have before I whisk your sister away, if I can….”

  Cecily leaned forward. “What do you mean… if you can?”

  Gawain leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “This lab means everything to her, and I have asked her to walk away from it for a minute, but I need to know if she can do that? Can I take her on holiday for a week, maybe two, or even a month?”

  Cecily finally relaxed and said, “I would be very grateful if you did.”

  The conversation began to ease. Gawain was extremely relieved to hear her words. Even more pleased when she said, “For a moment there, I thought you were coming to deliver some bad news.” She smiled and leaned back in the chair.

  Gawain added, “No, I am very protective of my sister and out of respect I wanted to come and have you meet me before I disappear with yours.”

  “So you are really ready to become a part of our lives?”

  He looked around the office and saw she was reading his brother’s latest piece of pornographic trash. He spotted the Vanity’s Pleasure catalogue on the desk and picked it up. “It appears we already are.”

  He pointed to the model on the cover on the Vanity Pleasure catalogue. “This is my sister.”

  He picked up the book on the corner of the desk. “And this piece of legalized porn that you are reading, is written by her twin brother.” He frowned a bit as if he has something distasteful in his mouth when he looked at the eye patched pirate on the cover. “I don’t always claim him.”

  He pointed to the swashbuckler on the cover, “Although I did convince him last month to finally get a haircut,” he said, flashing the smile once more. Reaching into his pocket and removing his passport and his driver’s license from his back pocket, he handed both to her. “Please make a copy if you would like.”

  Okay, flash her the deal-closing smile, pull back on the charm.

  Cecily took the documents to the copier and returned shortly thereafter. “So, what’s next, Sir Knight, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Not at all, Dr. Murphy, or can I call you Cecily?” He arched a brow to make sure it was okay to become more familiar.

  Nodding her acceptance, he asked, “I need to know if she has a passport, and is it either here or can you get it before Thursday?”

  Cecily grinned and leaned forward on her elbows on the desk with her chin between her hands. “How romantic. Where are you taking her? You know she has never travelled except for conferences.”

  “Depends on whether or not she has a passport?”

  “Cryptic aren’t you?”

  Gawain laughed. “Funny, she says the same thing.”

  “So you are actually going through with this.”

  “Yep, got the ring in my pocket.”

  “Can I see it?”

  He laughed at her while shaking his head no. “Before your sister has a chance to see it? Are you trying to get me killed?

  Laughing, she asked, “So what else did you hope to accomplish during this visit?”

  “Well, there are two things I need. One is to ask that you include my sister and my cousin as bridesmaids in the wedding. My sister, Mina, is a size 4 and Khalea is a size 6.”

  She eyed him curiously.

  “Don’t ask how I know such things,” he responded.

  He went on to add, “My friend, Joshua, will be my best man.” He handed her Joshua’s card. “And my brother and cousin, Chuck, will be my groomsmen.”

  “And the second thing?”

  “I was hoping you would call your parents and let them know to expect me for lunch.”

  “That is a four-or-five-hour drive.”

  “I’m in the plane, well, the company plane.”

  “You own a plane?”

  “Well, technically, I bought it for my sister for her birthday.”

  “Aren’t you a man of many talents?’

  “I do my best. Is there anything you would like to ask me before I abscond with your sister?”

  “I do have some questions. How did you find each other and what do you do for a living?”

  He found himself getting all moon eyed, “As of last week, I am unemployed, and I guess we were just destined to be together. It was a random act of chance.”

  “Now I’m worried, and what do you mean you’re in the company plane? I thought you were unemployed.”

  “I am. I left my government job, but I still co-own two companies.”

  Gawain stood, walked to the bookcase and removed three books from the shelf. He took a pen from his lapel, and opened the covers. “I wrote these textbooks. And sometimes I’m a guest lecturer at Stanford, and the publishing company,” he turned the spine to her, “that I co-own with my brother prints these.”

  He signed each book and put them back on the shelf. “I also started and managed my sister, Vanity Devons’, career, helped her start her company Vanity’s Pleasure and am a co-owner.” He continued by adding, “I think I can take good care of your sister.”

  He stood at the corner of her desk, his hands wedged deep in his pockets, and said, “I am worried though, Cecily.”

  “About what?” she asked curiously.

  “Pulling her away from all this. Will she get bored easily?” His gaze was soft and sincere. It was a moment of uncertainty in his eyes that made Cecily like him.

  “If you keep her mind engaged and fingers active figuring out a scientific problem, she will be okay.”

  “I hope she likes wine,” he mumbled.

  “She likes a great number of things, but more importantly, she really likes you.”

  “God I hope so. We are both stepping out on a limb here starting something new. I just hope we are as lucky making it work as we were in finding each other.”

  Cecily stood, offered her hand, and said, “Well, you have my blessing. Here’s to making all your dream come true.” She held up her coffee mug in a mock toast. He gave her a brief hug, secured the parents’ address, and took off to meet Chuck at the airport.

  Next stop: Raleigh, North Carolina.

  42

  May I Have Your Daughter's Hand

  An hour and a half later, he pulled up in front of a midsize home in Raleigh, North Carolina – a dozen roses under one arm, two new fishing poles with lures under the other, and a cooked roast chicken in a bag in his left hand. Gawain had changed out of the suit and was now wearing comfortable Dockers, boat shoes and a polo shirt.

  He knocked on the door and a petite woman answered with soulful brown eyes and the warmest smile he had ever seen.

  “Mrs. Murphy?”

  She smiled and yelled into the house, “Honey, there is someone here to see you.” She took the flowers and he offered her his arm. “Cecily said to expect you for lunch.”

  When they walked into the kitchen, he shook Mr. Murphy’s hand and made small talk. All of this as he chopped up the chicken to make his low cal chicken salad. Lunch went well as he sipped on way too sweet iced tea, and helped wash the
dishes.

  He spent a nice afternoon discussing the benefits of the fishing poles he brought to Mr. Murphy for deep sea fishing, talked about the boat he wanted to buy, the places he had traveled, his two companies, and the few books he had written.

  Mr. Murphy shared some pictures of the vacations his daughters had sent them on and how proud he was of each of them.

  “I know you are, sir. And I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and Mrs. Murphy, which is why I’m here.”

  Mr. Murphy eyed him cautiously and waited for the handsome young suitor to state his case.

  “Sir, I would like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage,” Gawain spoke humbly.

  Mr. Murphy almost started dancing. He pumped Gawain’s hand profusely, yelling into the house.

  “Baby, she’s gonna get married to this nice young man, and he fishes too! Daggone it, she hit the jackpot!”

  Mrs. Murphy pelted Gawain with questions about the wedding. “Would you prefer a large formal catered affair, or a more intimate wedding?”

  “We are going to take off for a while and do a bit of traveling, so the wedding will be in the spring.” He left a copy of his passport and driver’s license with Guinevere’s mother and gave her dad his cell phone number.

  They agreed on a small catered affair for family and friends and he gave her the head count for his family, including Chuck and his wife, along with Chuck’s sister and his Aunt Marisca and Uncle Santo.

  Gawain was relieved that everything had gone well with Guinevere’s parents. He gave Chuck a call, told him of the wedding and to meet him at the landing strip outside of Hartsfield International. He was going to drive to Atlanta to shake off some of the sugar from the sweet tea that had him loopy.

  43

  The Knight's Chivalry

  Guinevere had missed her flight and had to return to the office. She walked in to find Cecily gazing into space. Something was off. In her office there was a very familiar scent that she knew but could not place. She looked at the financial books Cecily was reading, and for the first time, noticed the author. “He was here, wasn’t he? I can smell him.”