Kate hated those words.
For one thing, they always preceded a negative outcome, didn’t they?
For another… They escalated anxiety before an issue had even been presented.
Jude asked, “Are we seriously doing this now?”
“Perfect place.”
“Because my apartment unnerves you.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t buy it when I was with Annalise,” he explained. “It wasn’t meant for her. She never set foot in here.”
“No, but you did buy this place with thoughts of filling all these bedrooms…correct?”
Jude’s teeth gnashed. Then he gave a simple nod.
“You had a shitty childhood and chances are you subconsciously—or even consciously—want to rectify that.”
“Little late in the day, don’t you think?”
“Not necessarily,” she said as she began to circle the foyer. “You can create the perfect environment for yourself, for your children, for your family. Hell, Jude, you could even become the foster parent you might have dreamt about but never had.”
“I knew it was a mistake to leave all of this out of our sessions,” he lamented. “Coming back to bite me in the ass now.”
“It wasn’t exactly germane to our sessions. It is, however, pertinent currently. You want—envision for yourself—a classic familial unit.”
His brow furrowed. “I haven’t discerned it all has to be classic, Kate.”
She halted and speared him with a poignant look. “But I’m right.”
Jude gave a nonchalant shrug. “Most of the time.”
“Jude,” she snapped.
“Kate,” he groaned. “You’ve seen my house and now you’re freaking out. I don’t need your psych degree to comprehend that. But goddamn it, I didn’t just ask you to close up shop and become a lawyer’s wife. Pop out three kids and—”
“Three!” Her hands flew into the air. “What is it with that number?!”
“Well, it’s a sensible configuration,” he reasonably said, having no clue as to her consternation. “What if we had two boys right off the bat and then realized…hey, a girl would really create balance in the household?”
Kate’s heart nearly stopped. Tears sprang to her eyes.
Oh. Shit.
He was deathly serious about this.
And she was…?
She was…?
What?
Kate’s mind whirled. The room started spinning again.
“Christ, Kate. You’re pale.”