After Divorce, Billionaire Ex Found Me Pregnant-Chapter 227 Final Special: #13.

Friday had rolled by and Anastasia found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror, wondering what the heck she was thinking.

Going on a date with Lloyd was a horrible idea and she was sure the consequences would come haunt her in the end, yet here she was, staring at herself as she put on the dress Megan had recommended.

“If you’re going to do this, might as well look your best.” Was what Megan had told her, but honestly, looking her best wasn’t what worried Anastasia.

No, she was worried about her own emotions.

She knew she could stop now, yet the desire to see what lay beyond her fears kept pushing her.

Gripping the fabric of her dress, she gave herself a single nod of encouragement.

There’s no turning back now.

Just after that thought, the sound of her door bell could be heard downstairs.

Lloyd was here.

Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the door and opened it.

“You’re early.” She spoke as soon as she opened the door.

Lloyd was about to speak, but seeing the dress she was wearing, a beautiful black dress that hugged her curves and reached just above her knees, he couldn’t help but stare.

And it didn’t help that her hair was done in a messy bun.

“Yeah.” He said once he found his voice, trying his best to not ogle at her as he directed his gaze else where.

Huh? Anastasia couldn’t resist the urge to tilt her head. Was he being a gentleman now? The Lloyd who had shown up at her doorsteps the last time didn’t hesitate to ogle her with his eyes.

The change brought a slight smile to her lips.

“Anyway,” He cleared his throat. “You ready?”

“Yup.” She replied, stepping out of her apartment and allowing the door shut behind her. Shortly after, the sound of the locking system kicking in reached her ears.

“Great, then shall we get going?” He brought his arm forward.

Anastasia hesitated, knowing fully well that the moment she took his head, that was the moment she would seal the fate of her feelings.

Lloyd noticed her hesitation. “You still having second thoughts? You can cancel if you want to.”

“No,” Casting aside any feelings that might ruin the night, she linked her arms with Lloyd’s and for the first time, smiled at him. “I’m just surprised at your manners. Did you pick them up from Christian or did you just learn how to be a gentleman on your own.”

Lloyd chuckled. “I’ve always been a gentleman. You just never noticed.”

“Is that so?” Came Anastasia’s answer as she was led to his car. He held the door open for her, waiting till she was seated before shutting the door and making his way to the driver’s seat.

“Here, I bought these for you.” He reached into the back seat and pulled out a bouquet of roses and handed them to her.

Anastasia took them, surprised at his actions, and looked at the flowers before looking at him.

He really was trying his best.

It warmed her heart, as much as she tried to tell herself not to give into his affections.

Perhaps he could also change his playboy ways.

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

The car ride was quiet and the only thing Anastasia could hear was the music coming from the radio and Lloyd’s occasional humming.

Anastasia found herself watching him from the corner of her eyes, studying his every movement unconsciously.

“We’re here.” Lloyd’s voice broke the silence and she quickly looked ahead.

“Oh.”

He parked the car and came to open the door for her. She was reluctant to take his hand, but after a moment’s hesitation, took it.

Once she was out, she turned to the place in front of her.

It was the local art museum.

“I wasn’t sure if you were interested in art,” Lloyd began, slipping his hands into his pocket. “But I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take you here.”

“I haven’t visited an art museum since I was a child.” She muttered, smiling fondly at the memory. She turned to him and with a cheeky smile, said, “Well, at least, it’s better than a strip club.”

"It was the only place I could think of at that time.”

“Sure, blame it on the place.” Anastasia playfully rolled her eyes.

Lloyd couldn’t hold back his chuckle. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Anastasia nodded and they both made their way inside.

“Ah, Riley!” The owner of the museum, a short man named John, greeted when they entered.

“Hey, John. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“Well, I am. Anyway, the exhibition is open.” He gave a small bow. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you.” Lloyd nodded, his hand finding the small of Anastasia’s back as he led them both deeper into the museum.

“Exhibition?” Anastasia questioned as Lloyd led her deeper into the museum.

“You’ll see.” Was all he said.

They came to a halt in front of a door, and the moment they walked through, Anastasia found herself in a room full of paintings, the same paintings that she had last seen during her childhood days.

When her family consisted of just her, Fiona and her father.

Her whole family.

“How...?”

“I did some research.” Lloyd explained, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “I was hoping you would recognize them, though.”

Anastasia was silent for a while. She didn’t want to know how Lloyd had done it, but she was glad that he had.

“Do you... Like it?” Lloyd questioned her silence.

He was just about to think that he had brought a bad memories, when Anastasia nodded her head.

“Yes.” She looked at him and gave him one of those dazzling smiles that had Lloyd’s heart speeding up. “Thank you.”

“Let’s take a walk around.”

“Sure.”

They walked around, admiring the art and talking about their favorite paintings. Anastasia had even shared a story about her past, and Lloyd had shared some memories about his childhood.

“You were a cute kid.” She complimented as they stopped in front of a painting.

“Of course I was. I’m cute now too.”

“If only looks could get you places.” She retorted and Lloyd chuckled.

“Hey, looks can get you anywhere, even into the heart of the world’s most competent and beautiful lawyer.”

“Did you just...” Anastasia turned to look at him and he was already staring at her, a soft smile on his lips.

“Yes, I did.”

Anastasia could feel her heartbeat picking up and a warm feeling spread across her chest. “S-stop being Cheeky Lloyd, it wouldn’t get you anywhere.”

Lloyd laughed, reaching forward and gently caressing her cheek. “Would this be considered ‘cheeky’?”

Anastasia’s breath hitched at the gesture and before she knew it, her hand had slapped his hand away. freёweɓnovel.com

Lloyd’s expression went from shocked, to hurt and then to understanding. “I’m sorry, was I too forward?”

“No,” Anastasia shook her head, her tone soft. “It’s not you, it’s just me.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

Of course she couldn’t move on so easily.

“Do you want to leave?” Lloyd offered.

“No, it’s fine.” She gave him a small smile and gestured at the other paintings. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the night, yeah?”

“Alright.”

Lloyd nodded, not wanting to push the matter, and instead, he focused his attention on the art.

But the atmosphere between them had changed, and the warmth had shifted to awkwardness.

Anastasia could feel Lloyd’s gaze on her, yet she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze, not when she was still struggling with the fact that she had reacted to him touching her like that.

What did it mean? Did her feelings for him run deeper than she had expected?

She was unsure, but one thing was for sure, and that was the fact that she liked the feeling of his hand on her cheek.

“Hey, let’s get out of here. It’s stuffy.” Lloyd suggested after a while.

“Huh? We can’t, the exhibition is just getting to the good part.” Anastasia responded.

“And John would understand.” Lloyd assured, slipping his hand in hers. He glanced at her, expecting a reaction after this action, but when nothing came, he smiled. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” She asked as she allowed him to lead her out of the exhibition.

“A place where we can clear our heads.”

“Oh, so you have something to clear too.”

Lloyd glanced at her. “Yeah, lots of things.”

He led them out of the museum and back into his car, then drove them both to their destination.

Anastasia was confused, because she wasn’t sure where Lloyd was taking her, but he was adamant about it.

“Where are we going?”

“To my favorite place.”

“That isn’t a name, Lloyd. I want a name.”

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

Anastasia didn’t ask any more questions, instead, she decided to focus her attention on the outside.

It was dark, the sky illuminated by the moon and stars and the only sources of light were the lampposts that lined the streets.

They were going deeper into the city and the more they drove, the more Anastasia wondered what kind of place could be in the middle of nowhere.

And then, after driving for about fifteen minutes, they came to a stop.

“We’re here.”

Anastasia peered out the window and her eyes widened. “A lake? I didn’t know there was a lake here.”

“There are a lot of things people don’t know about the city.” Lloyd chuckled, slipping out of the car and going over to open the door for her.

She took his hand and stepped out, then followed him to a small hill.

“You come here often?” She questioned.

“Yeah, whenever I need to clear my head.” Lloyd explained, taking a seat at the edge of the hill and gazing down at the water.

Anastasia silently took a seat beside him and they both gazed at the moon in silence.

After a long while, Lloyd spoke. “You know, the other day, Gabriel came complaining to me,” His random choice of topic had Anastasia looking his gaze, curiosity piqued. “Apparently, he couldn’t handle the fact that Leonica seemed more happy with Owen than him. Looked like a lovesick fool, and I pitied him...”

“But you don’t pity him now.” Anastasia finished for him and he chuckled.

“Nope, because I know why he couldn’t handle it. Loving is complicated.” He looked at her. “Especially when it happens unannounced and the second person isn’t ready. It can make things more complicated than they should be.”

Anastasia stared back, her lips parted as she waited for him to say something, anything, that would confirm her fears.

She was afraid that he was going to confess his feelings for her. Because then, she’d have no way of drawing the line, now way of going back.

And despite her desire to find out the truth, a small part of her wished that he wouldn’t say anything, because the truth scared her.

“But,” He continued. “Even if it’s complicated, even if the second person doesn’t want to reciprocate your feelings, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t love. After all, loving is the most beautiful thing.”

He was speaking about himself, she knew it.

“Loving is scary, Lloyd.”

“It is.”

“And complicated.”

“It is.”

“And even when knowing this, you still want to love?”

“Loving is human, Anastasia.” As he spoke, she felt his pinky finger touch herd. “It’s not a crime to fall in love. And if it hurts, then it’s better to accept it and move on than deny the fact that it ever happened. That’s the only way we can heal, don’t you think?”

Anastasia couldn’t help but think, he’s speaking as if he’s gone through something.

And the fact that he wasn’t pushing her to reciprocate his feelings, made a big part of her want to.

And at this point, she could no longer ignore that part.

Lloyd wasn’t Derek.

Lloyd could change.

And if he does... She’s simply move on, just like Leonica had done.

“Loving is scary,” She began, interlocking their pinky fingers and making sure she could feel the warmth of his hand. “But if I had to, I’d risk it all to see where the path leads me.”

Lloyd stared at her fingers. Although it was dark, he could see how well they fitted against each other.

“You’re taking a leap of faith?”

“I’m trying.”

“Are you sure you won’t regret it.”

“Who knows. Would you make me regret it, Riley?” She asked once their eyes met once again.

Lloyd laughed, the sound echoing across the empty area. “Only a foolish man would.”

“Then it’s settled.” She looked back at the lake. “But, we’ll have to take this slow.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

They were silent again, their hands interlocked and both of them enjoying the peace and tranquility.

And although this was her first relationship in years, Anastasia hoped that this one wouldn’t be as bad as the one she endured with Derek.

She was going to enjoy this one.

After all, she had now decided to let go of past attachments and Lloyd was a different person and he also cared about her, so much so that he was willing to put his company at risk.

That alone was an impressive move to her and earned most of her affection.

She would give it a chance and leave the rest up to cupid.