The Billionaire's Fake Marriage (A Romance Collection Boxed Set)

by Amanda Horton

  “What clause?” Adam demanded.

  “Your wife didn’t think you’d be an able-bodied parent once she passed away, so she has stated in her will that she would like the court to decide whether you’re fit for the task. By the looks of it, I wouldn’t want Lacey to stay with you for even a single minute.” The judge leaned forward. “Tell me, Mr. Tucker, what makes you a good parent? Convince me.” She gave him an expectant look.

  Adam remained silent as he contemplated his answer. Time seemed to drag on, and the atmosphere in the room became tense. “I’m waiting, Mr. Tucker.” The judge said, only adding to his frustration.

  “Request for a recess!” A squat man with a pudgy face suddenly spoke up. Adam turned his head to see his lawyer looking rather nervous, a bundle of papers pinned under his arm.

  The judge sighed, but nodded. “Granted.” She shooed everyone away with her hand and leaned back in her chair. She gave one last, reprimanding glance in the baseball player’s direction.

  “Mr. Tucker. Please follow me,” Adam’s lawyer directed. It took Adam a minute to react. He followed the lawyer and the second they entered a closed off room, he exploded.

  “What the fuck was that? How could you let her speak to me that way? And to take away my daughter? There’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone take my little girl away from me!” Adam paced recklessly across the room, heart pounding in his ear.

  “Mr. Tucker…” The lawyer spoke quietly. “There is only one way to fix this.”

  “Do whatever you have to. I can’t lose Lacey at any cost.” Adam bellowed.

  The lawyer held a written statement in his hand as he stood before the judge. There was a layer of sweat on his bald head as he read out the counterproposal he had stipulated. “On behalf of my client, I suggest he remarries and finds Lacey a suitable, loving mother. We also ask you, your honor, to postpone sentence for a year, granted that Mr. Tucker stays out of trouble for the next twelve months.”

  The judge gave him a hard look. “I want to see the completion of these proceedings no later than three months from tomorrow or custody of the child will be granted to her aunt. That’s my final judgment.” She slammed her gavel down.

  From the corner of the room, Adam watched. He had enough money to find a temporary wife for himself. He just needed to find someone he could put up with for a year. That was a small price to pay for his daughter.

  ***

  “What do you mean you’re letting me go? You can’t let me go. I’m the star of this whole production!” Marie Laurie’s face was now turning red with anger. “This has to be a mistake.”

  “I’m sorry, Marie, but we just don’t think you’re fit for this production company. The other girls have been complaining about you and, we’ve decided that it’s more reasonable to simply let you go.” Marie’s production manager shrugged his shoulders.

  “Who complained about me? Was it Kristina? I never liked her. Or was it McKenzie? That bitch.” Marie growled, going through the list of her former co-workers.

  “This is exactly why we have to let you go. We simply cannot tolerate that sort of language and behavior. We’re looking for classy actors, who know how to present themselves both on and off the stage.” The man ran his fingers through his hair, now irritated by the whole conversation.

  “Are you saying I’m not classy? Do you even know whom you’re talking to? I’m Marie Laurie, daughter of John Laurie, multi-billionaire John Laurie. I’ve been going to dinner parties since I was in the first grade!” Marie spat, her cheeks turning red. “And I don’t need you or my father’s money to get to the top of this business. You just wait. I’ll become a famous Broadway actress all on my own!” Marie’s voice rose in pitch the more worked up she got. Her full head of strawberry blonde hair was now a wild mess as she kept tugging on its curly ends. “I don’t need you!” She shouted in the production manager’s face. “And I hope McKenzie actually breaks a leg on stage.” With her lips pressed into a hard frown, she turned on her heels and left, making her way onto the crowded New York streets.

  “They’re a bunch of fools. Getting rid of me? The show is going to crash and burn.” Marie grumbled to herself as she walked down the sidewalk, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Angry gripes emerged from nearby people as she nearly barreled into several unsuspecting pedestrians. “If they think this will stop me, they have another thing coming!” Marie shouted at no one in particular.

  Her hands were clutched into fists by her side as her mind wandered back to her parents. She still remembered the day she had left home for good. Her parents were adamant about her continuing her education at business school, but Marie knew she had to follow her dreams. If she hadn’t at least tried to pursue an acting career, she would have never been able to live with herself. So she had dropped out of college and moved to New York, bringing all the money and belongings she could carry with her.

  Unfortunately, her money took off faster than her career. Now, she was broke and thanks to what had happened this afternoon, unemployed. Marie dreaded the thought of working some menial job, just to be able to finance her dream. She couldn’t imagine herself waiting tables at some gaudy restaurant or be a barista at Starbucks.

  This was all her parents’ fault. If they had simply supported her, none of this would be happening right now. I don't need them. I don't need anyone! I'll get back on my feet in no time. With this new found inspiration, she stopped at a local café, dishing out her last twenty-dollar bill for a coffee and a muffin.

  She sat down, and noticed the newspaper on the nearby table. She grabbed it and glanced through, looking for something interesting. Finally, she relented and turned to the Wanted section. Maybe someone was looking for an actor, she thought.

  The very first ad caught her eye: Wanted: Single woman, age 20-25. Fit. Attractive. Live-in nanny. Compensation set at $500,000. Please call (567) 222-3456.

  Marie reread the small ad one more time, trying to figure out if it was legitimate. It seemed strange that someone would pay half a million dollars for a nanny. “I never thought of myself as the nanny type…” Marie grumbled to herself. She loved kids, but living with a family? What did her appearance have to do with this? It seemed strange.

  It’s half a mil though she thought. It would sure beat waiting.

  ***

  “Next!” Adam shouted, shooing away the blonde that had been sitting across from him. He glanced over at his lawyer with an irritated look on his face. “This is going nowhere. All of these girls are complete idiots. They have no idea what they’re talking about and none of them would take good care of Lacey.” Adam grumbled, already irritated by the fact that he had been stuck in this dingy function hall all day.

  The lawyer loosened the tie around his neck. “I’m sure you’ll find someone soon. There are quite a number of women waiting.” He gulped, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. “If you don’t go through with this, you run the risk of losing Lacey.” He added. Adam gritted his teeth and turned around, now facing the vacant seat before him. “Next!” He called once more. The door opened slowly and Marie walked in. She was wearing a crisp, white summer dress. It had a white and yellow daisy pattern with a sweetheart neckline that showed off her chest.

  Marie’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she laid eyes on Adam Tucker for the first time. He was wearing an expensive suit. On his wrist was a high-end Rolex, studded with diamonds. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. His deep-set eyes and the hard line of his jaw made her heart skip a beat. Marie had no idea that she was looking at the best pitcher in the national baseball league. Everything about him was intoxicating and Marie felt like she might be unable to look away. “May I sit?” She finally managed to say, doing her best to keep herself presentable in front of her potential new employer.

  “Of course. Have a seat.” Adam waved his hand forward. Marie nodded and batted her eyelashes, hiding her hazel eyes for a moment. Adam watched her. “What’s your name?”
he asked.

  “Marie Laurie.”

  “And where are you from, Marie?”

  “Originally, I’m from the D.C. area, but I recently moved to New York to become an actress,” Marie answered confidently, a proud smile on her face. There was something about the way he looked at her that unnerved her.

  Adam nodded, unimpressed. “An actress, huh?” He looked down at her resume. Her record was spotty at best. She hadn’t been able to secure a proper job in months, and all her previous employments had been terminated. Adam was ready to let her go, when something sparked his interest. She had marked her experience with children as one of her skill sets.

  “It says here that you’re good with children. Can you elaborate?”

  “Oh! Well, I just love kids.” Marie answered with a smile. “When I was in high school, I used to volunteer for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. I had a little sister of my own. Her name was Penelope. She was the cutest little thing. We used to go out and go bowling or have a girls’ night at home where I would do her hair and paint her nails. It was a lot of fun.” Marie smiled brightly as she remembered the time she had spent with the little girl. If she hadn’t been an actor, Marie would have been a teacher.

  “That’s very noble of you,” Adam smiled, suddenly impressed. He grabbed a photograph from his pile of papers and slid it over to her. “This is my daughter, Lacey. My wife recently passed away and I don’t want her to grow up without a mother.” Adam explained.

  Marie picked up the photo and looked at the beaming little girl. In the picture, her two front teeth were missing and her hair was done in twin ponytails. She looked very happy. “She’s beautiful. I’m sorry about your loss,” she added. She was surprised that a man as brash as Adam cared so deeply for this little girl. “I’d love to meet her sometime.”

  Adam nodded, offering a smile. Marie’s love for children was enough to convince him that she would be perfect. He felt that Lacey would love her. “I’ll keep in touch.” Adam tipped his head in her direction.

  Marie bit her lip, hesitantly getting up. The photograph was still in her hand. She was about to hand it back to Adam when it slipped between her fingers and fluttered to the ground. Instantly, both Adam and Marie leaned over to get it. In the process, they bumped heads. Neither of them moved as their breaths tangled together. Marie found herself staring into Adam’s dark, beautiful eyes, her heart suddenly thundering in her chest.

  Adam’s lawyer cleared his throat behind them. Adam sighed and turned, feeling the tension. “I apologize.” He whispered in her direction before offering her his hand. “If you’ll follow me.” He said coolly, leading her to the door.

  Marie was hesitant to leave. She had the feeling that she had not made a good impression after all. Adam’s expression remained cold and distant, making her nervous. Outside, a group of young women all waited patiently for their turn.

  Back inside, Adam’s face softened a bit. “She’s the one.” He proclaimed, sitting back in his seat. He leaned back and looked at his lawyer. “Did you see her? Her experience with children has been the best so far. None of these other girls even came close.”

  “But keep in mind that she’s an actress. This type of career path doesn’t seem stable enough to satisfy the judge… Maybe you should reconsider.” The lawyer pointed out tentatively.

  “She’s the one.” Adam declared. “I want you to call her and schedule an appointment for her to meet Lacey. If she does well, I’ll have her sign the contract.” With that, Adam left the room.

  ***

  “Are you ready, pumpkin?” Adam called out from his bedroom. His luxury high-rise apartment was well furnished with new, modern furniture. Classic, expensive paintings hung on the wall, adding some flair to the otherwise, beige walls. “Lacey?” He called out again when he got no response.

  “I’m coming, Daddy!” A small, sweet voice suddenly squeaked. Adam heard a rush of footsteps coming his way. When he looked down, his little girl was already standing in front of him.

  “You’re getting faster and faster every day. I’m going to have a track star on my hands soon.”

  Lacey shook her head. “No! I like tennis better!” She rocked on her heels and smiled.

  “Of course. Remind me to buy you that new racket you keep asking for.” He rested a hand on her head, careful not to mess up her hair. “Are you ready to go to the park?”

  Lacey nodded eagerly. “Yeah, but who are we going with? You said someone was going to be joining us?” The little girl inquired, tilting her head to the side. He knew how excited she'd been all week for this trip.

  “You’ll see. I think you’ll like her.”

  “She?” Lacey sounded confused. “Who?” She insisted.

  “It’s a surprise.” Adam chuckled at his daughter’s eagerness. Hopefully, she would be just as eager when she finally met Marie for the first time. “But we need to hurry up or we’ll keep her waiting,” Adam warned, placing a hand on her back and ushering her toward the front door.

  ***

  Adam’s eyes landed on Marie, sitting on a park bench. Her long, strawberry blonde hair fluttered in the wind. He watched as various late-summer blossoms cascaded from the trees, fluttering toward her. His breath caught in his throat as he realized just how beautiful she truly was. All around them large, budding trees sprung up in bundles. It was a really beautiful day.

  As they got closer to her, Marie turned her head, locking eyes with Adam. Adam felt excited after a long time; as excited as he was when he threw his first pitch. After a moment, he was able to get his bearings, and he cleared his throat. “Marie. I’m so glad you could make it.” Adam offered her a bright smile. Lacey glanced up at the tall woman with a shy expression on her face. She quickly hid behind her father’s legs. Adam tried to step forward, but Lacey wouldn’t budge. Leaning down, he attempted to pry her off his leg.

  “Am I really that scary? I haven’t even played the witch in Wizard of Oz yet.” Lacey peeked out from behind her father. Her eyes were wide, observing. “But let me guess, you like Dorothy better than the Wicked Witch of the West?” Marie tilted her head, her hair falling over her shoulders.

  “How did you know?” Lacey asked, her voice soft and her large, brown eyes bright with curiosity.

  Marie pointed down to the little girl’s feet. “Well, you’re wearing ruby red slippers of course!” Marie laughed and soon enough, Lacey joined in. To Adam's surprise, she grabbed the woman’s hand, and held it tightly.

  It usually took Lacey much longer to warm up to a stranger but Marie had managed to lure her away from him with a simple, two-minute conversation. “Daddy, can we go play on the swings? There’s three open over there.” Lacey pointed to an empty swing set. He nodded, unable to deny his daughter’s request.

  Squealing with glee, Lacey pulled Marie toward the playground. She ignored all the other children and sat down in the middle swing. She gave Marie an expectant look until the young actress sat down on her right-hand side. Seconds later, her father sat down on the left-hand swing. “One… two… three!” Lacey called out.

  All three of them started to swing together. “I bet I can go higher than you!” Marie challenged with a mischievous smile.

  “No way!” Lacey retorted, putting all of her weight into swinging as high as she could. As she did so, the wind whipped up her hair, yanking it forward and backward. “I’m so high! I can see all of New York from up here!” She commented at the top of her swing. Adam looked out and smiled. Through the trees, one could just make out the incredible New York skyline, decorated with a multitude of impressive skyscrapers for as far as the eye could see.

  “This is so cool!” Lacey giggled. Adam was glad to see his daughter like this. Being gone so often meant that his wife spent most of her time with Lacey, and since her passing, she had been very reserved. Though he was angry with the judge, he was glad at how things had turned out for the better.

  Adam smiled, watching the two girls have fun. His eyes res
ted on Marie’s long, slender legs as she pushed herself higher and higher. His heart tightened with an unknown want. Adam looked over at Marie, taking in the fine, smooth features of her face. She had a soft button nose, large hazel eyes and a curvy beautiful smile. A strange and almost unnerving feeling came over him, but it wasn't unwelcome. This woman was different, and he had to know why.

  Finally, the girls calmed down, bringing their swings to a standstill. “That was a lot of fun,” Lacey exclaimed, short of breath. Still full of energy, however, she jumped off her swing and rushed over to Marie, yanking on her hands. “Let’s do something else!”

  Marie’s eyes went wide. The little girl had changed so much and so quickly. She went from afraid to completely comfortable in an instant, bouncing around and smiling ear to ear. “How about we take a break and get some ice cream?” Marie offered.

  “Ooo.” Lacey cooed, looking to her father. Adam smiled, nodding in consent. He reached forward, about to grab Lacey’s hand, but she immediately shook her head, her pigtails whipping back and forth. She rushed forward and grabbed Marie’s hand instead, a grin on her face.

  “Two can play that game.” Adam retorted, grabbing Marie’s other hand. A wild smirk appeared on his face when he noticed the blush on her face. Adam couldn't stop himself. It seemed natural. She didn't turn away, so they continued.

  He squeezed her hand and took a step forward, leading them toward a local ice cream shop. Lacey skipped along, singing all the songs she could remember from the Wizard of Oz. Marie sang along, a smile on her face. So far, so good, Adam thought. This was going to be easier than he anticipated.

  ***

  “I can’t believe how good you are with her,” Adam whispered as they both tiptoed their way out of her bedroom and toward the living room. Lacey was fast asleep in her bed, tightly hugging her faithful stuffed animal.

  “Oh… it was nothing. I’m just glad that she likes me.” Marie’s cheeks turned pink in response as she plopped down on the plush couch. She looked around the living room, her eyes dancing over the huge fireplace, the expensive paintings, and all the modern-looking light fixtures. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you even afford to live here? New York living costs an arm and a leg.”