Page 14 of The Billionaire’s Secret Twins (Love for the Holidays #11)

“I know, and this is one of the places where I went very wrong. You’re a gem, Angie, and I realized it too late. You are truly a diamond when compared to other women because other females often want me for my money.”

“Okay,” I grit, my hands clutching the cushion so hard that my knuckles hurt. “Thanks for telling me. But that doesn’t clarify anything.”

Dominic nods slowly, his expression thoughtful.

“Just wait for it, sweetheart. You see, when I made my first million, I started being targeted. Women began throwing themselves at me, not because they thought I was so charming or handsome, but because I was rich. Back then, I didn’t hide my wealth.

There was no such thing as “quiet luxury” and I drove a Bugatti while wearing a Patek Phillipe watch.

I didn’t possess the true markers of wealth yet, but I lived well, and ostentatiously. ”

“You’re still living ostentatiously,” I snap. “You named the old Holly Pines property after yourself, and it’s now known as the Masters Estate. If that isn’t the definition of conceit, then I don’t know what is.”

Dominic shrugs.

“Holly Pines didn’t suit me. Neither do other names like Daybreak, Hidden Hills, or Chapel Cottage.

Yeah, someone suggested that I mislabel my mansion as a cottage,” he says in a wry tone.

“It must be a Southern thing. But anyways,” he continues.

“I’ve been a target of feminine manipulation for a long time.

It’s been going on for decades, and as you know, a tried and true method of ensnaring a man is by getting pregnant.

Family court can be generous, and child support payments last eighteen years.

I mean, look at Elon Musk. That dude must be paying up the ass for his brood of children. ”

I squint at him.

“Who cares about Elon Musk?” I say in a ravaged tone. “I’m talking about the here and now.”

Dominic nods slowly.

“Yes, I know. But let me continue because I took action early on to keep the gold-diggers away. I had a vasectomy in my late twenties after being the victim of one too many pregnancy scares. At that time, I didn’t want children, and was absolutely uninterested in becoming a family man.

A vasectomy made sense, so I had it done.

It was quick, easy, and a simple fix to my problems,” he says in a careless tone.

I stare at him.

“You’re lying because you are the father of these boys. I haven’t had sex with anyone but you in years, and before, it was only my husband, Ned. He’s dead.”

“Yes, I know,” Dominic says. “But you can see why I didn’t believe you when you said you were pregnant. A vasectomy is generally irreversible, and I figured you were faking because you wanted my money. Or you were pregnant by another man?”

“ What ?” I explode, cradling my bump. “Who would it be? What are you talking about?”

Dominic shrugs, but then his expression goes serious.

“That’s why it was so confusing. It was a puzzle because there was no way you could be pregnant by me, according to what I believed, and yet you were definitely pregnant.

By whom was the question, and so I had you monitored, Angie.

I know you haven’t had contact with any men since setting foot in Rome. ”

I stare at him.

“You had me what ?” I screech. “You had me surveilled? What the hell are you talking about? This is an invasion of privacy!”

His black brows quirk.

“Is it really surveillance if you’re living in my house though? I should know who comes and goes under my roof. But the only calls you were getting were from your friends Kristie and Emilia back in the States, and you never mentioned a man to them either.”

“ You listened in on my calls ?” I scream with rage, jumping to my feet. “What the hell?”

“Calm down,” Dominic soothes, gesturing for me to sit again.

I seethe at him, my face hot, but my belly’s ungainly and heavy, and my knees ache.

I sit down again, cradling my bump. This man is going to be the death of me because I’m so mad that my blood pressure is surely in the dangerous area.

But the billionaire continues, unperturbed.

“So yes, Maria and Roberto kept me apprised, and said you had no gentlemen visitors. You had no calls from other men, and never spoke about another potential babydaddy to your girlfriends. In fact, you were often crying on the phone, and Maria begged me to reconsider. She asked me to explore other possibilities given your obvious misery, and after a few months, even I began to question myself.”

“Oh really,” I bite in a sarcastic tone. “Let me guess what comes next: immaculate conception, right? It’s the only answer to this medical mystery.”

He grins at me, eating up my feisty attitude.

“No, not immaculate conception, but rather regular conception. Vasectomies can spontaneously reverse. It’s rare, but it can happen, and I began to consider the possibility.

I remembered all the times I came in you, and how there was often a huge volume of seed.

My semen was always leaking from your body because there was so much, and I wondered if something had happened.

So I took myself to the doctor, and had my semen tested.

There was sperm in it,” Dominic says in a wry tone.

“My little swimmers are alive and well.”

I stare at him.

“Wow,” I whisper.

“Yes, wow,” he acknowledges, his handsome features wry. “Recanalization only happens in a small fraction of cases, but it happened in mine. Patrick and Lochlan, I think you called the boys? They are my sons, and I’m ready to acknowledge them.”

“No way,” I spit immediately. “We don’t need you! We didn’t need you then, and we don’t need you now.”

Dom suddenly goes serious.

“I know,” he says in a low tone. “You’ve been a wonderful mommy to the children so far, and I know you could bring up our twins alone if you set your mind to it.

Of course, I’d provide anything you need,” the billionaire rushes, “but I know you’re capable, Angie, because that’s the kind of woman you are: feisty, proud, capable, and a wonderful mother. ”

I stare at him.

“So you’re going to leave us alone.”

“No, I’m not,” Dominic says immediately, opening his palms in a beseeching gesture.

“All I’m asking for is a second chance, Angela.

I’ve explained to you why I was so suspicious from the start.

Again, a vasectomy is supposed to be permanent, and there’s less than a 0.

05% chance of reversal. Those are pretty long odds, especially since I had mine done almost two decades ago.

I hope you understand why I blew you off, and why I was convinced you were lying. ”

“But you began to re-consider,” I say in a slow tone.

The handsome alpha nods fervently, reaching forward to take my small hands in his big ones.

“Yes. My turnabout started slow but it gained speed as more and more clues revealed themselves. You had no male visitors, and Maria never heard you discuss another man with your friends on the phone. Then, there was the unusual volume of my ejaculations, and when I finally took myself to the doctor to get checked: well, fuck ! I could hardly believe it myself at first.”

I close my eyes, detaching my hands from his in order to pinch the bridge of my nose as if in pain.

“Oh my god, this is such a nightmare.”

“No, it’s not,” Dominic responds fervently.

“Because all this made me realize something important, which is that I love you, Angela White. I’ve been in love with you for a long time, and I was in hell when I thought you’d betrayed me.

I didn’t sleep a wink for weeks, if not months, because I thought you were carrying another man’s child.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was the father of your children.

And that’s what I want,” he says in a rough tone, those blue eyes flaring.

“I want us to be a family. You, me, and the two boys.”

I stare at him, still suspicious.

“I don’t get it, though. You’re a ruthless billionaire who thought you were sterile.

There was a zero percent chance in your mind that you could have fathered my children.

So when I told you about my pregnancy, why didn’t you kick me out?

Why did you set me up here, in Rome, in a fancy townhouse in a fancy neighborhood?

Why have you been paying for everything, when you thought I betrayed you?

You could have just thrown me out on the street, but I’ve been getting paychecks even, these past few months. ”

A shadow crosses Dominic’s face, but then he seizes my hands, his blue eyes serious. He slides to his knees before me on the carpet, and I gasp at the gesture. The billionaire speaks in a rough voice.

“It’s because I love you, Angela, even though I thought you were pregnant with another man’s children.

Even thinking that you had betrayed me. I still loved you because my adoration is so overwhelming that I couldn’t bear to break up with you completely.

I needed time to come to terms with the turmoil of my life, and in doing so, gave myself the space to realize what mattered most: that I love you, no matter what, and want to be with you,” he says in a rough tone.

I stare at him.

“So you would be here, on your knees, even if I was pregnant with another man’s child.”

He bows his head in submission.

“I would, sweetheart. I love you that much.”

Suddenly, I start to cry. All the fight goes out of me, and tears begin to pour down my cheeks as broken sobs escape my throat. Dominic has me in his lap in a second, holding my pregnant form close as he kisses my temple.

“Say you’ll be mine, Angela White,” he rasps. “I’ve lived through hell for you, and I don’t want to suffer a moment longer. You belong to me.”

I wrap my arms around his strong neck before gazing into those patrician features.

“I do, Mr. Masters,” I whisper. “I belong to you.”

Dominic seizes my lips in a devastating kiss as we cry and embrace, our forms heaving with emotion and passion. But after the storm passes, Dom lets out a rueful chuckle and reaches into his jacket pocket.

“I have something for you, Angie,” he rumbles. Then he pulls his hand out to reveal my black slipper from ages ago. “I believe you left this at the ball, sweetheart. I’m returning it to you.”

With those words, I burst into laughter before pressing kisses all over his face because now, our fate is sealed.

Sure, Dominic Masters and I went through hell.

We went through months of misunderstandings and experienced a weird biological phenomena that’s rare and almost unheard of.

But the long and the short of it is that we love each other, and we’re blessed.

After all, the housekeeper is expecting the billionaire’s twins .

.. and in the end, my Cinderella dream came true.