Marianna didn't know why she was nervous. Her parents were good, kind people. They would accept any man that she felt she could bring home. They trusted her like that.

But she'd never brought home royalty. And for some reason, she wanted Leo to like her family. To feel welcome in her home. It was stupid, and she instantly brushed off those feelings.

There was no reason for Leo to have any feelings for her parents or her home. They were faking this entire relationship. He didn't love her and probably would forget her the moment she left Caro. Getting attached was the last thing she should do.

Filippo pulled up into her parent’s driveway after she instructed him which house was theirs. The small, two story brick house caused her lips to tip upwards. Even though it was quaint, it was her home. And she loved it.

The window boxes exploded with flowers. Bushes lined the walkway. The grass was perfectly manicured—her father's pride and joy.

Filippo turned off the car, and Marianna opened her door and climbed out. Just as she’d suspected, the front door opened and her mother stepped onto the stoop. She was wearing an apron and her round cheeks were red with excitement.

"Mari!" she exclaimed as she went down the steps and crossed the yard. She grabbed Marianna and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so happy you are home."

"Hey, Ma," Marianna said, returning the hug.

Leo must have stepped out because her mom grew quiet. Marianna turned to see him pushing his hands through his hair and looking around.

"Oh, my. Mari," her mom breathed. "He's like a Greek god."

Heat raced across her skin. Leave it to her mother to embarrass her. "Ma," Marianna said, but was cut short when her mom pushed her to the side and approached Leo. "Welcome to our home." She stopped and bowed.

Embarrassment flooded Marianna. "Mom," she said again, this time, more forcefully. She approached them and shot an apologetic look at Leo.

He laughed and shook his head. "It's fine." Then he reached out and pressed her mom’s shoulder. "You don't have to do that. I am not your prince."

Her mom patted her cheeks and glanced at him. "I'm so sorry. We've just never had royalty here."

Leo shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shrugged. "Then just think of me as a normal guy."

Her mom snorted. "With Mari?" She slipped her arm through Leo's and started leading him up the sidewalk. "We really haven't had many of those either."

Marianna groaned, hoping her mom heard her, but if she had, she didn't acknowledge it. Marianna was rapidly realizing that bringing Leo here might have been a mistake. For a moment, she had thought her parents would not embarrass her. She had been a fool.

Filippo remained at the car, leaning against it. Marianna smiled over at him. "Wanna come inside? I'm sure my mom has whipped up quite a meal."

Filippo looked uneasy for a moment before he nodded and pushed off. He kept pace with Marianna as they walked across the yard. Just as they reached the stoop, Marianna felt a hand wrap around her elbow.

"Can I speak to you?" Filippo asked.

Marianna's heart picked up speed. What did Leo's bodyguard want to talk to her about? Did he suspect that this had all been a lie? Was he going to yell at her? She shushed her emotions and forced a smile, turning to meet his gaze.

"Sure. What's up?"

Filippo quirked an eyebrow, but then his expression grew serious. "What is your game? What do you hope to accomplish?"

Marianna studied him. It was the first time that her intentions had ever been questioned. "I want to help the prince. He deserves that." And that was true. The more time she was spending with Prince Leo, the more she learned how good he was. Maybe he needed some more self-confidence, but he was a good man. Something that had been seriously lacking in the men she'd chosen to date in the past.

"That's it? You just want to help him get better?" Filippo narrowed his eyes.

It hurt Marianna's heart to hear what Filippo was implying. How many people in Leo's life had used him for his status? No wonder he wanted nothing to do with the royal life. How could he ever know if someone was genuine or not?

Marianna reached out and rested her hand on Filippo's arm. "I only have Leo's best interest in mind. He needs to get better so he'll realize how good of a man he is and bring that goodness to the throne."

Filippo's expression softened as he studied her. "You're a good woman, too, Marianna." But then he drew his eyebrows together and focused his stare. "But if you hurt him, you will have to deal with me."

Marianna flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. She must have startled him because he froze, every muscle in his body tensing.

"I promise," she said and then gave him a squeeze.

"Are you two done?" Leo's voice called from the open door. Marianna looked up to see that her mom had wrangled him into an apron and he had flour all over his hands.

She laughed and released Filippo. "Yep," she said as she made her way up the front steps. Once inside, she glanced over at Leo. "You said yes, didn't you."

Leo glanced over at her with wide eyes. "I'm not really sure how it happened. Your mom was showing me what she'd made for lunch and then the next thing I knew, she had an apron over my head, and I was kneading dough."

Marianna laughed. "Yep. You let her suck you in." Then she lowered her voice. "And you will never get out of it."

He raised his eyebrows. "I believe you."

They chuckled as they walked into the kitchen. Marianna couldn't believe the spread her mom had made. A roast sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by vegetables. Fruit salad was heaped inside a carved-out watermelon. Deviled eggs and pasta salad filled in the empty spots.

"Ma," she said, glancing over to her mom who was kneading bread dough on the counter. "This is a little crazy, huh?"

Her mom snorted and shook her head. "He's royalty. They eat a lot. Right?" She glanced over at Leo, who nodded.

"Yes. Of course."

"You made too much, Susan," her dad said, walking into the kitchen from the garage.

"Dad," Marianna said, rushing over and giving him a hug.

"Hey, peanut," he said as he squeezed her. "Happy you came home."

Marianna pulled back and planted a kiss on his cheek. She saw his gaze fall on Leo. "Dad, this is Prince Leo." She grabbed her dad's hand and pulled him over to where Leo stood.

Leo extended his hand. "Sir."

Her dad narrowed his eyes. "What is this that I hear? You propose to my daughter without asking me first?"

Marianna parted her lips and she glanced from her dad to Leo. What was he doing? He knew this was fake. She'd told her mom earlier. Did her dad not find out? "Dad," she said, staring at him. "What are you doing?"

Her dad glanced over at her. "Just wondering what kind of man this prince is." And then he broke out into a smile. "I'm just joking." He grasped Leo's hand and shook it. "Welcome to the family."

Leo looked relieved. "Thank you, sir."

They dropped hands, and her dad wrapped his arm around Leo's shoulders. "Do you like cars?"

"Of course."

Her dad nodded. "Let me show you what I'm working on in the garage. You won't believe the baby I have in there."

Leo parted his lips, but let her dad drag him to the door. Her mother protested that he’d been helping her first, but Marianna's dad waved her away. When they were gone, her mom glanced over to her.

Suddenly, feeling like a kid again, Marianna sat on the barstool and fiddled with the basket of apples on the counter. Filippo excused himself and headed out after Leo, leaving Marianna alone with her mom.

"I like him," her mom said, breaking the silence.

Marianna glanced up. Was it wrong that the statement made her heart sing? "Really?"

Her mom nodded. "He's a good one."

And then reality made her come crashing back down. Leo wasn't hers. He never would be. They weren't really engaged—all of it was lie. "Yeah. He's a good guy." She blew out her breath. "But it's not real."

Marianna felt her mom's gaze settle on her. "That's a pity. He's definitely better than that Samson character you brought home."

Marianna's stomach churned. She shook her head. He was the last person she wanted to talk about. "Don't even mention him," she said.

Her mom nodded. "Right. We're not talking about losers." She cut the dough into chunks and started rolling them in her hands.

Suddenly needing something to do, Marianna stood up, washed her hands, and joined her mom. Soon, they were working in sync, forming the rolls.

"What's his family like?" her mom asked.

Marianna set a roll on the pan. "Formal? They really want him to marry this girl, Gisella. Which is weird because she is horrible. I haven't figured out why they would force their son to marry someone so terrible. Such a strange thing." She glanced at her mom. "You wouldn't make me marry someone who didn't love me? Right?"

Her mom laughed. "Honey, this isn't the 1800's. Of course you can pick who you marry." But then she sighed. "He's royalty. It's a different world. He marries, it affects his country. You marry and it affects only us." She raised her hands. "But be wise when you marry."

Marianna kneaded a scrap piece of dough with her fingers. "But it isn't fair."

Her mom pulled open the oven door and sighed. "Honey, life isn't fair. You know that. Leo seems like a good guy. He'll make the right choice. If his parents want him to marry this girl, maybe he should. I'm sure they want what's best for him, but they have to weigh every choice with how it will affect the country. It's a lot of pressure."

Marianna nodded. She understood what her mom was saying, even if she didn't agree with it. But what did she know? She wasn't running a country—his family was. Every decision had to be scrutinized against what it would do for their citizens.

Suddenly, the weight of what they must be feeling settled around her. Was it wrong what they had done? Maybe. Leo wasn't ready to be king right now; Marianna understood that. But maybe she could help him see just how good of a king he would be.

Maybe she could help him see that giving up one freedom didn't mean being stuck in a jail cell. It meant opening the doors for other freedoms. And sometimes, that's what a person has to do. Especially when they were responsible for so many people

Before they could continue, Leo and her dad walked through the door, laughing. Leo was covered with a black substance that Marianna could only assume was oil.

"What happened?" she asked. His clothing and skin were drenched.

"Leo tried to help. Didn't quite work," her dad said, clapping him on the back.

Leo shrugged and grinned up at her. "Yeah. Car repair is probably not in my future."

Her dad laughed. "No. I would stay away from that." He nodded toward Marianna. "Can you help him to the bathroom upstairs so he can shower? I'll grab some of my clothes for him to change into."

Leo's eyes widened. "Um, okay."

Marianna nodded toward the stairs on the far wall. "Come on."

She could hear Leo's footsteps behind her as she made her way to the second floor. They passed by her old room and over to the bathroom just beyond it. She pushed open the door and waved inside.

"Here," she said. She wasn't sure what to do. It felt weird standing there, so she moved out of the way.

"Get his clothes, Mari. I'll wash them and have them ready to go before you leave," her mom called up the stairs.

Heat raced to her cheeks as she stared at Leo. He had an incredulous smile on his face as he studied her.

"Wow. Okay," he said.

She watched in slow motion as he grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Once it was off, he held it out for her to take. Her heart pounded in her ears as she stared at his chest. His tanned, perfectly chiseled chest. Greek God, repeated in her head like a skipping CD.

"Mari?" His voice pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced up to see him staring at her, with that ridiculous half-smile of his. The one that told her he knew she was gawking.

She cleared her throat. "Um, yes?"

He shook his stand in front of her. "You need to take it from me if you are going to bring it down to your mom."

Heat raced across her skin. Why was she such an idiot? "Yeah, of course." She grabbed it from him and fought the urge to bury her face in it. Anything to hide her embarrassment.

And the worst part about all of this, was that he knew what he was doing to her. It was written all over his face. He unbuttoned his jeans, and Marianna did the only thing she could think of—she lifted her hand to cover her eyes. If his chest and abs were doing this to her, there was no telling how she would react to the rest of him.

Leo's soft chuckle filled the air. She ignored his teasing and held out her hand. When she felt the jeans touch her skin, she grabbed them and turned.

"Turn the shower nozzle all the way to the left, or you'll freeze. I'll get these downstairs and get them clean." She stared at the wallpaper in front of her.

He must have stepped closer to her because when he responded, "Yes, ma'am," shivers raced across her body.

His voice was low, and with his accent, it muddled her mind.

Not wanting to stand there anymore, Marianna walked out into the hallway and pulled the bathroom door shut behind her. Now alone, she let out the breath she'd been holding.

What was wrong with her? She was a fool to be allowing herself to react this way. He was a prince. A prince! There was no way any relationship between them would work. His parents had made her sign a contract, for Pete’s sake.

No. If she was going to protect herself from heartbreak, she was going to have to back away from Leo DeLuca right now. He wasn't good for her.

She had a tendency to fall for the guy that was going to break her heart. And she knew, if she continued down the path she was on, her heart would end up broken whether she wanted it to or not.