Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"When you love someone, you let them take care of you." ~Jodi Picoult
Annalise
I'd just showered, dried my hair, and crawled into my nice warm bed when someone knocked softly on my door. At first, I groaned, wondering who forgot what from dinner.
Then I looked at the time.
11:30 pm.
Who the hell would be here at this time of night? I tiptoed to the door. The person knocked again, slightly louder but not by much. I tiptoed to the door, not wanting to alert the visitor I was here in case they were here to rob me instead of a friendly house call. Peering through the peephole, I froze, recognizing the crazy gray hair and black trench coat. I threw open the door.
"Will, what on-"
"I had to get away from the palace," he interrupted. "I know it's late, and I hate doing this to you because you need sleep, but I just need a couch to crash on. I don't know where else to go."
"Will, what happened?" I demanded gently, pulling him inside. "Where are your bodyguards?"
"I snuck out. Father and I had a nasty argument. He knows I know about his Alzheimer's, and I called him out on keeping it a secret from me. Dad said he thought I wouldn't be able to handle knowing the truth, and I lost my temper. If he thought badly of me before, he certainly thinks even less of me now. I-" Will was interrupted by his cellphone ringing. Glancing down at the caller ID, he made a disgusted face and ignored it. "It's my dad."
"Look, I know you don't want to talk to him," I said, "but at least tell him you're safe. He's probably worried like crazy."
Will scoffed. "The only thing he's worried about is what's going to be in the press tomorrow if it gets out that I've snuck out of the palace."
"What about your mom?"
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"I'm mad at her too but not near as much as my dad. At least she apologized. That's more than my dad did, and more than he will do."
His phone rang again. This time it was his mom. Still, he ignored it.
"You take my bed, Will. I'll sleep on the couch." His phone buzzed again. Will continued to ignore the incessant ringing.
"I'm not taking your bed. I'll take the couch. You need the sleep more than I do."
"But, you're the guest."
"An uninvited one."
"Invited or not, you're still a guest."
"Then, as the prince of Verona, I'm ordering you to sleep in your bed while I take your couch. No arguments. I've had enough of those for one night, and you're the last person I want to argue with right now."
I sighed. "What exactly did you say to your dad?"
Will shrugged. "That I'm sorry for everything. I don't really remember to be honest. I was so mad at him that I'm not sure what came out of my mouth. The last thing I apologized for was not being the perfect son he wanted."
