Page 52 of When Annika Met Thom

Annika couldn’t stand it. “So, what’s your ultimate plan?”

“Plan?” Thom echoed, his expression grim.

Annika waved her chopsticks in the air. “Where do you want to be in five years? What do you want to be doing in ten?”

He looked wary. “What difference does it make?”

“I’m just making conversation.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re talking about the future.”

“So?”

“It’s part of it.”

“Part of what?”

“The future thing women do.”

“How can that be? I’m asking about your future, not ours.”

“Same thing.”

“I don’t get it.” Annika said and he shrugged. “Go on,” she invited. “Explain it to me.”

For a minute, she wasn’t sure Thom would. Then he put down his chopsticks and locked gazes with her. “The future questions are a way of checking out prospects. What career plans do I have? What’s my future earning potential? Where do I want to live? How do I want to live? Are we on the same proverbial page for choices, because when it comes to marriage, forever and babies, we really should be.” He picked up his chopsticks and expertly picked up some noodles. “Plus womenalwayshave to talk.”

“You have a lot of assumptions about women.”

“All learned.”

“I’m going to challenge them.”

“Not so far.” He picked up a box and offered the rest of the noodles within it to her. Annika shook her head and he put them on his plate.

“I’m not like the other women you’ve dated—I won’t say other women in general because I don’t think all women are the same.”

“Babies,” Thom said with a sad shake of his head. “Sooner or later, it’s always about babies. Usually sooner.”

“No, it isn’t. I don’t want to have children.”

“Yet.”

“Ever.”

He met her gaze and arched a brow.

“I have five siblings,” Annika explained. “Four of them are already parents. That’s plenty of kids to go around. I never wanted to be a mom. I always wanted to build things, to be the engineer in charge, to make buildings and bridges…”

“And rock climbing walls.”

“Yes! And travel and do all the things, except have babies.”

He eyed her as he ate.

“What about you?” she demanded.

“There’s enough people on the planet. We need to take care of the ones who are here already, not make more.”

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