Marrying a Prince

  Marrying a Prince

  A Fake Marriage Series

  Anne-Marie Meyer

  To Emma

  May you find your prince someday

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

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  Love Under Contract

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  Chapter One

  Marianna clicked the lock button on her key fob, and a familiar beep sounded from her car. She slipped her keys into her purse and walked across the parking lot and through the sliding doors of the hospital.

  She took a deep breath as she entered New York General Hospital. She could do this. She could be strong. Samson wasn't going to ruin her life anymore. He was scum.

  She blew out her breath as she pressed the up button for the elevator and boarded. After smoothing the front of her light-blue scrubs, she muscled down the emotions that had risen in her chest. Today was the first day in her new department. The emergency room was three floors beneath her. There was no reason she would ever run into him.

  She would finally be able to focus on why she became a nurse in the first place—treating people. She would lose herself in conditions that took time to figure out. Give herself a purpose—to heal the patients in her care. She wouldn’t let a guy get in the way of that ever again.

  The elevator dinged and she stepped out. Donna, her best friend, was standing next to the nurse station studying what looked like a newspaper.

  "Hey," Marianna said, walking by her and dropping her purse into a cubby behind the desk. After she clocked in, she grabbed some charts and started flipping through them. She needed to familiarize herself with the oncology department where the diseases were long-term and less immediate than the emergency room.

  Donna glanced up. "Have you seen this?" she asked, dropping the newspaper in front of Marianna.

  Marianna ran her gaze across the headline. "Caro Prince expected to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week," she read and then flicked her gaze over to Donna. "Seriously, Donna? What does that have to do with us?"

  Donna laughed. The familiar Mari are you serious? laugh. "This is my big chance. I've got to find someone to cover for me so I can go there, meet him, and marry him."

  "Marry him?" Marianna skimmed the article. "It says here that he is bringing his longtime girlfriend, Gisella." She sucked in her breath between her teeth. "Doesn't bode well for you."

  Donna's eyes widened as she grabbed the newspaper and glanced it over. "What? No," she said, sinking into the office chair behind her. "You don't think that it means he's going to propose?"

  Marianna gave her an encouraging smile. "Yeah. That's my guess. But, good news, you get to stay here with me!" She batted her eyes.

  Donna glowered at her. "Seriously? Marrying a prince means adventure. It also means people wait on you. No more changing bedpans." She wrinkled her nose and then sighed, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

  Marianna sighed. When Donna got like this, there really was no way of snapping her out of it. She gathered her patients’ charts and tucked her pen behind her ear. "Come on, Donna. It's not that bad. There's new challenges every day." Besides, this floor was safe. And there was one thing Marianna was sure of, she was never going to get her heart broken again.

  She loved her job, her tiny apartment, and the consistency of her life. This was exactly where she wanted to be. Being swept away by a foreign prince on a noble steed was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

  "You're in denial, Mari. Being a nurse is not better than being a princess," Donna called after Marianna as she made her way down the hall.

  Marianna rolled her eyes as she slipped Mr. Dutress's chart into the slot just outside of his room. She knocked on the door and entered. "Good afternoon, I'm Marianna and I'll be your nurse for today."

  Mr. Dutress had fallen asleep with his mouth open. He was snoring so loud that Marianna doubted he ever heard her. She walked over to the machines that dotted the room. After taking note of his IV status, the heart monitor, and his output bag, she recorded it on her notepad and left.

  Thirty minutes later, after the previous nurse had given her the starting shift chat and every one of Marianna’s patients had been checked on, she walked to the nurse's station. Donna was still sitting on a chair, staring at the newspaper. Thankfully, she looked in a better mood.

  "Feeling better?" Marianna asked, shooting Donna a smile.

  Donna sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

  Grabbing her purse out of the cabinet behind the station, she took out a few dollar bills. "How about a soda on me?"

  Donna nodded. "Okay. Diet."

  "You got it," she said. She made her way over to the elevator and pressed the down button. When she got to the lobby, she took a left and headed into the cafeteria. After she got a Sprite for herself and a Diet Coke for Donna, she stood outside the elevator, tapping her toe as she watched the floor numbers count down.

  Commotion at the entrance of the hospital drew her attention. She turned to see a woman in a white pantsuit and thick black hair. She was shouting something in a foreign language.

  Two men came in after her. Both were dressed in jogging shorts. One man had his arm around the other, who was limping. He had a gash on his forehead, and dried blood streaked his face.

  "Help. Help," the woman screamed in a thick Italian accent. Her gaze zeroed in on Marianna. She rushed over and grabbed her arm. "My son, help my son."

  Marianna set the bottles of soda next to the elevator and nodded. "Okay, okay. Calm down." By the time Marianna had said those words, the two men had approached. The larger one had a stern expression that made her eyes widen.

  "A wheelchair?" he asked. He too had a thick accent.

  Marianna nodded. Thankfully, a hospital volunteer approached with a wheelchair and helped the hurt man into it.

  "Emergency room," Marianna said, nodding toward the hallway to the left. As they started down the hallway, she reached out and pressed her fingers on the man's neck.

  He moaned and shifted. Marianna couldn't tell if it was because of the jostling from the wheelchair or her fingers. Either way, she focused in on his heart beat. It pounded against her fingertips.

  "What happened to him?" she asked, glancing up at the woman in white who was chanting a prayer under her breath.

  "He was out for a run and when he rounded the corner, a little boy came at him on a bike. Leo tried to avoid running into him and tripped, flipping over and hitting his head." Her voice faded as if she were reliving the event. "He was finished with his run. We were right there, waiting to pick him up. He should have never left the hotel."

  Marianna glanced over at the woman. Her face had turned stony, and she made the sign of the cross.

  "I think he's going to be okay," Marianna said, hoping to calm her down. They r
eached the emergency room desk, and Marianna nodded to Jeanine, who raised her eyebrows. "Head trauma," Marianna said.

  Jeanine's gaze flicked to Leo and then back over to her. "You can have a seat," she said, nodding toward the only empty chair in the room.

  The woman scoffed. "I don't think you heard her right. My son will be seen right now." The tone of her voice turned threatening, and chills raced across Marianna's skin. This woman had a strong presence.

  Jeanine didn't even bat an eye. Marianna was sure she was used to overprotective parents. "Ma'am, we have to check him in," she said, readying a clipboard.

  The woman scoffed. "You can call me Mrs. DeLuca. And you will see my son right now."

  "Well, Mrs. DeLuca, you have to follow protocol just like everyone else."

  Mrs. DeLuca glanced over at Marianna and raised her eyebrows. Marianna suddenly felt a desire to do something. She was pretty sure that it came from the fact that Mrs. DeLuca looked as if she were about to murder anyone who got in her way.

  "Jeanine, I'm here. I'll just take him back and get him started," Marianna said, turning to the receptionist. Part of her didn't believe that those words had come out of her mouth. But Mrs. DeLuca looked desperate, and hopefully Samson was off today so it really wouldn't matter.

  Jeanine raised her eyebrows. "What?"

  "Yeah, I detected a heart murmur on our way here. It's probably best to get him looked at—like right now." Marianna was stretching the truth a bit, but working here gave her inside knowledge about what to say to speed up the wait time.

  Mrs. DeLuca's face paled. The man who'd been pushing Leo stepped up to the counter. "I would suggest that you get him seen right now. For the best interest of this hospital."

  Jeanine glanced over at Marianna. Marianna shot her a look that said, it's okay, I'll take care of these pushy people.

  She sighed. "Fine. Take these papers and fill them out. Make sure you get them to us as soon as possible."

  Mrs. DeLuca took the clipboard, murmured something about "Americans," and followed after Marianna as she pushed Leo through the emergency room doors and down the hall.

  And, just her luck, Samson was standing outside a room with a chart in hand, looking like the ridiculous god that he most certainly was not. Marianna had half a mind to turn Leo around and wheel him right back out of the ER. No one was worth another run-in with Samson. Not after what he'd done—how he'd dumped her.

  Trying to date had just proven to her that relationships were risky. And she was not about taking risks. At least, not again.

  "Room?" she asked him as she wheeled Leo past.

  Samson glanced over, and his lips tilted up into a half smile. "Mari, what are you doing here?"

  She sighed, hoping her response came out cool and collected—not spastic and out-of-control like she felt. "I'm bringing a patient in," she said, nodding toward Leo.

  Samson glanced down then nodded. "Ah, room seven should be good. I'll come check on him in a minute."

  She didn't acknowledge him as she walked over to room seven and entered. The large stocky man helped Leo up onto the hospital bed, and Marianna started taking his vitals.

  Now that Leo wasn't hunched over, she got a good look at him. He was attractive and looked vaguely familiar. She brushed his thick, wavy hair from his forehead and studied the cut. It was deep. She could see the fatty tissue that lay just beneath the skin and she was sure if she tried, she would probably see his bone.

  "Leo, do you know where you are?" she asked as she hooked up the pulse oximeter on his finger.

  "I—um—" His eyes widened and he glanced around the room. "I think New York."

  She nodded. "Good. And do you know your name?"

  She watched as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

  "Leo," he said, this time much more anxious.

  "Okay, Leo. Do you remember what happened to you?" she took out a thermometer and placed it under his tongue.

  He glanced over at her and waited until it beeped. "I went for a run and hit my head."

  She wrote his temperature down on her pad of paper. Then she reached into the nearby drawer and pulled out a flashlight. After shining it in his eyes for a few seconds, she noted that the pupils were the same size. That was a good sign.

  "Okay. I'm going to go get the doctor and your real nurse, and they will get you taken care of," she said smiling at Leo and then over to Mrs. DeLuca.

  Mrs. DeLuca nodded. "Thank you. Of everyone at this hospital, you were the most caring. We won't forget that."

  Marianna smiled. She was pretty sure as soon as these people walked out of here, they were going to forget all about her. "I hope you feel better, Leo."

  "Thank you," he called after her.

  She walked out the door, anxious to get out of this place. As she stood outside his room, she took a deep breath. She was going to have to talk to Samson. The one thing she'd sworn she'd never do again.

  As she approached him, Barbie stepped in front of her. "Where are you going?" she asked, snapping her gum.

  It took all of Marianna's strength not to turn and punch her in the face. It had only been two months since she'd caught Samson and Barbie together, and that was definitely not enough time to forget what it felt like to walk in on them.

  "There is a patient in room seven that I need to report on. Once I'm done, I'll head back upstairs." She narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, this is the last place I want to be."

  Barbie stared her down and then sighed. "Fine. Why don't you just report to me, and I'll take it from here." She grabbed out a notepad from her scrubs pocket and readied her pen.

  After Marianna gave her the stats, Barbie nodded. "Got it." Then she motioned with her hand. "You can go."

  Not waiting for another second, Marianna turned and left. When she stepped out of the ER, she took a deep breath. That had been a mistake. She should have never allowed Mrs. DeLuca to convince her to help.

  That's what happened when she took risks. She got hurt. And right now, she wasn't sure she could handle getting hurt again.

  When the elevator rang on the third floor, she handed a semi-lukewarm Diet Coke to Donna and collapsed onto a nearby chair.

  "What's with you?" Donna asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "I had a detour at the ER," Marianna said, burying her face into the crook of her arm.

  Donna scoffed. "What? Why?"

  Marianna groaned. "Some desperate woman talked me into helping her son get seen. Of course Barbie and Samson were there, so that was just great."

  Marianna could hear the pressure release as Donna unscrewed the cap. "You're too nice, Mari. You need to be meaner." She took a swig.

  Marianna straightened and glanced over at her friend. "I need to find a new hospital. I thought changing departments would help, but it obviously didn't." She rubbed her face with her hands.

  Donna shook her head. "You need to get that man-whore fired, that's what you need to do. A doctor sleeping with a bunch of nurses? That seems like an HR nightmare."

  Marianna rolled her shoulders back. "No, I'm not going to do that." She sighed. What was she going to do? Just complain about him?

  Yes. For now. Once she had better control of her life, then she'd be more assertive. Until then, she was just going to avoid the ER, and thus, avoid Samson.

  Chapter Two

  Leo's head throbbed. His eyes hurt. His leg hurt. But what was causing the most pain was his mother's incessant nagging. She hadn't left his bedside for the last twenty minutes. Instead, she kept asking him, over and over, what he’d been thinking.

  "Mother," he said as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "I told you already, Filippo and I went for a run. I didn't realize that was illegal to do here."

  Her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze. "Leonardo, you will be ruler of your country. If you don't start acting like it now, you will not be ready."

  His stomach twisted at the thought. King. He was going to be king soon, and he was certain he wasn't ready for it
. All of the responsibility that came with that bore down on him, suffocating him. Had he ever been asked if he wanted to be king? No. It was an expectation given to him from birth.

  "Your Highness, I think we might be overwhelming him. With a head injury, it's best to keep things simple," Filippo said, reaching out and resting his hand on the queen’s shoulder.

  Her gaze met Leo's, and she sighed. "I'll go find some coffee and try your father again. I can't seem to get any reception in this room." She stood and made her way to the door. "Don't let him leave, Filippo." She pointed her finger at his bodyguard and narrowed her eyes.

  Filippo nodded as she left, pulling the door shut behind her.

  "Sorry, man," Leo said, wincing as he shifted on the bed. Some nurse named Barbie had come in, finished his vitals, and cleaned his cut. They were waiting to be taken to get a CAT scan.

  Filippo shrugged, but Leo knew that move. He wasn't happy with what Leo had done. But could he be blamed? His family had flown all the way to New York so that they could put on a spectacle by having him propose to a woman who he didn't love.

  As soon as they checked into the hotel, Leo had tried to escape for a run. But Filippo must have expected that, because he showed up minutes later, running right next to him. Even though Leo had quickened his pace, Filippo hadn’t let him out of his sight. Just as they rounded the corner, a little boy came out of nowhere, and the only way Leo could avoid hitting him was to veer off to the left, where he tripped and flew head-first into a parked cab.

  Admittedly, not the most glamorous way to get injured. And Leo had been lucky not to have had cameras around.