Page 68 of Once Upon A Bear

“And anything you need from me, I will be here,” Kellan said.

“And of course, me too,” Gideon added, letting his thumb rub gentle circles into Guinevere’s palm.

“I want to help with magic!” Liliana exclaimed from the corner.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” his mother asked.

“Yes,” Liliana admitted with a grin. “But this is far more interesting than going to sleep.”

“We can figure out your role with magic when the time comes,” Lord Rendon told his youngest. “Now off to bed with you.”

As his sister said her goodnights, Giden leaned his head against Guinevere’s. “Aren’t you glad you came back with me?”

“So very glad,” she said, smiling up at him with watery eyes. “I didn’t know that such a thing was possible.”

“What thing?” he asked. “Making sure that you know you have a place here with us?”

“No,” she whispered. “Finding a family.”

As the conversation flowed around them, Gideon wished that he could kiss her soundly, but there were a few too many eyes in the room for him to be sure that she would be happy with that—so he didn’t, even as much as he wished he could.

But it sounded as if he might have many opportunities to kiss her in the future…especially if he was going to court her for real.

“I have a question,” he said, interrupting whichever family member was beginning to speak at the moment.

His family turned to him.

“Are we all going to the Fall Festival next weekend?”

Talk turned to the festival, and Gideon grinned down at Guinevere.

“Will you accompany me to the Fall Festival, miss?” he asked.

Guinevere smiled. “I suppose I should,” she teased.

“I’m not sure I could bear it if you told me no.”

Guinevere laughed out loud, drawing the attention of their family. “I imagine it would be unbearable without my presence,” she teased.

With her words, he could hold himself back no longer. He leaned down and kissed her soundly, to whoops and applause from the family around them. Guinevere laughed against his lips before resting her head against his shoulder.

“I suppose I should say yes to you more often,” she teased.

“You can say yes to me as much as you want,” he said, giving her another peck on the lips, then pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I shall never tell you no.”

“Now that is a dangerous proposition. Are you sure you want to commit to never telling me no?”

“No, I think it’s a safe one,” he said. “You are far too reasonable for me, and I fear that you’ll be the one telling me ‘no’ all the time, rather than the other way around.”

Guinevere wrinkled her nose. “Yes, because Gideon Rendon is a man prone to flights of fancy. Everyone knows it.”

His family looked on, absolutely fascinated—which he supposed was a proper reaction, because they had never seen this side of him before.

“I think with you around, I’ll be flying more than I ever have before. Is that allowed?”

“Only if you take me with you,” she said with a sweet smile.

“I promise to always bring you along for the ride.”