Page 26 of Billionaire's Black Surprise Twins

Samuel was handsome as always, his clothes looking made for him, which was possibly the case. Her heart felt all fluttery to be having such a dashing companion for the evening, while another part of her warned her to dismiss any romantic notions.

Yet when they arrived at the Italian restaurant he’d picked, with the candle-lit tables and idyllic atmosphere, Dina’s resolve faced a serious shake.

They ordered dinner, starting up easy conversation that soon brought on laughter and light banter. They’d gone out together on a few occasions in the past, yet this was the first time it really felt like an actual romantic date.

Unable to resist giving a smile, Dina said to Samuel, “You seem happy and relaxed tonight. I’m glad. I may be pregnant, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take note when someone around me is going through their own stuff.”

“Whatever I may be going through is nothing compared to all you’ve endured since the beginning of the pregnancy,” Samuel said, but Dina wouldn’t be sidetracked so easily by Samuel turning it round on her.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to,” she said with a meaningful gaze. “Though, it would be nice to think you could confide in me the way you make me do to you, especially with my work and health. I mean, you’re the one who suggested we live together, so why does it feel there’s something keeping us apart?”

“Okay, I admit I’ve been a close book. What would you like to know?” Samuel’s disarming smile almost had Dina getting sidetracked, again.

“Have you started taking on duties at your father’s company? I know he’s wanted you at the helm for ages,” Dina said bluntly.

Samuel looked startled for a moment at her directness. “It’s true, he has, but the present situation is not so cut and dried,” he began. “How do I put this? In my younger days, I could be likened to a whiz when it came to auto design. But I never really pursued it and leaned more to my passion for the traditional arts. Deep down though, I never really got past my dream of working with cars. I remember as a child I loved hanging out with the mechanics at my father’s company. And yet when the time got closer for me to take a position of leadership, I found myself reluctant to be controlled that way. In that vein, I chose to live a carefree life with no checks on my liberty. I could party every week and never have to worry about having authority over the lives of hundreds of employees.”

He paused to give Dina that deep, warm smile that always made her toes curl with pleasure. “But then you moved in and started up a regular work schedule painting. It was the first time in years I’d been around anyone who kept a routine. It bugged me at first, but soon I got sucked in too. That was when I decided to take a closer look at some of the work stuff my father had sent over. I actually found myself interested in some of the new car designs. What I didn’t understand was how I couldn’t seem to share the prospect of my new interest with anyone.” He let out a deep sigh of impatience directed at himself.

“For one thing, there was my father and not wanting to get his hopes up too high. I’d avoided the family business for so long, I guess I still wasn’t sure if I was prepared enough to step up to a real project,” he went on. “When Matt came around, it didn’t take long for him to decipher it all since he’s known me for so long. He had nothing but support for whatever decision I would make. I just never realized you would feel alienated when I didn’t give you the chance to offer your own hand of support, especially when I always offered mine to you any chance I could.”

Dina shook her head at his words. “I didn’t mean to come at you and make this all about me,” she said softly. Without thinking, she reached out a hand to rest on his over the table. “I think I understand now the frame of mind you must have been in. I definitely have felt unsure of my future too. The baby put everything up in the air and my dreams seemed to fly farther out of my reach. Somehow, though, I felt something pulling me back to the right spot my consciousness needed to be.”

She gazed at him, suddenly figuring out what it was that seemed to have saved her from herself. She’d thought she could do it all alone, had been stubborn and even selfish. Yet, with Samuel’s sure guidance she’d found the heart to welcome the affection and support of friends and family. Her secret defensiveness had eased into an acceptance that not everyone was set on scrutinizing her choices. She now felt free: no pressure, no judgments.

“I’ve never said this before, but thank you,” she told him with a sweet smile. “You didn’t have to be so good to me, even disrupting your whole routine when I had to move in.”

---