Thanks to eatsnightlockforbreakfast for her help and patience.
Katniss shut off the tap, dried her hands with the dishtowel, and checked the stew over the probably was closing the bakery to come home.
She had been nervously waiting for him since the afternoon, when she had got home from town.
She ate the last piece of cake and closed the icebox guiltily. But she couldn't help it, she needed something sweet.
"Sophie?" Katniss called, wondering if her daughter was done changing into her pajamas.
She had been so distracted while doing the stew that her head wandered far away. She was even distracted when she had bathed Sophie.
Their daughter will be 5 in a few weeks and she has already shown signs of independence that awe Peeta and Katniss.
She is extremely advanced for her aged, she already knows how to read and can count to 25. She says the most intelligent things with a naturality that more than once Katniss ask Peeta if she was really their daughter. She insisted on changing herself after her bath, but Katniss wondered what was taking so long, the silence was not normal.
"Sophie?" she called again walking towards the stairs but froze in the living room when she saw Sophie leaning over the Memory Book, silent sobs wracking her little body.
Her black hair was still wet and she had changed into her favourite onesie pajamas. Light blue with little clouds all over the fabric.
"Sophie?" she whispered kneeling next to her. Sophie turned to her mom, her bright blue eyes full of tears and her chin quivering.
"Mama!" she cried and threw her small arms around Katniss's neck.
Katniss hugged her and ran her hand over Sophie's back soothingly. She could feel her daughter's tears soaking her shirt but she didn't care. She hated when Sophie suffered and that raw feeling and need to protect her from harm she felt the first time she met her took over her body.
The Book was open to Prim's page and Katniss wished that Peeta was there to help her with this.
"Why are you crying?" she asked, her heart squeezing when Sophie gasped for air.
"Primrose was your sister." she said, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Katniss nodded with a sad smile at Sophie.
"She was my little sister." she said with a nod and Sophie's eyes filled with tears again.
"But the fire took her." she sobbed and hugged her mom again. Katniss swallowed her tears painfully.
"Yes." she answered. She sat crossed legged against the couch and cradled Sophie on her lap, rocking her gently. She dried her daughter's tears and kissed her nose, cheeks, and brow.
"Sometimes you're sad because you miss her, right?" she asked and Katniss sighed and nodded.
"But you know what makes me really happy when I'm sad?" Katniss asked with a smile, trying to erase the sadness her daughter felt.
"Going to the woods?" she asked with a hiccup and Katniss laughed softly but shook her head.
"What makes me really, really happy when I'm sad is you and Daddy." Katniss stroked Sophie's hair gently and Sophie smiled tearfully.
"Because, you know how big my love for both of you is?" she asked with a smile and Sophie frowned briefly.
"Like the meadow?" she asked and Katniss shook her head and kissed Sophie's forehead.
"Bigger, like the meadow, the woods, the sky, and the stars." Katniss answered and Sophie's eyes opened in surprise.
"That's really big mommy." she whispered and Katniss nodded with a big smile.
"You and Daddy also make me really really happy, especially when Daddy makes cake." Sophie said and Katniss grinned and rocked Sophie gently along with a hum.
"Your love for Primrose was big like that?" Sophie asked shyly after a few minutes. Katniss nodded.
"Yes Phi, that's why I miss her so much. But then I know I have you and Daddy and I'm not so sad anymore." Sophie smiled and hugged her mom tightly.
"I love you Sophie." Katniss whispered in her daughter's ear and Sophie kissed her cheek.
"I love you too, Katniss." she said and Katniss laughed, because when her daughter was serious about something, she called her parents by their names rather than the usual Mommy and Daddy.
The kitchen's door opened then, and Peeta's voice calling to them made Sophie yell for her dad.
"What are you girls doing in here?" he asked when he sat down next to Katniss. Sophie jumped to his neck and he grinned.
"Daddy I missed you all day!" Sophie said hiding her face in Peeta's neck and he laughed.
"I missed you too! The entire day." he said and frowned slightly to ask Katniss what was going on.
"The book." Katniss mouthed and Peeta's mouth opened briefly in understandment.
"Are you okay?" he mumbled and Katniss nodded and combed her fingers through his hair. Peeta leaned and kissed her on the lips softly.
"Did you have a good day?" she asked while Peeta put an arm around her shoulders while the other held Sophie closely to his chest.
"Yes, but I wanted to get home quickly so I could be with the two of you." he said and Sophie took her head from his neck and looked at her dad. She put both hands on his cheeks and looked at him.
"Did you have a sister like Primrose, Dad? " Sophie asked and Peeta smiled softly. He tightened his hold on Katniss.
"No, I had two brothers. Bran and Sam." he answered after a few long seconds and Sophie frowned, looking at the floor quietly.
"Did the fire take them too?" she asked and this time Katniss held his hand tightly.
"Yes." he said in a whisper and Sophie nodded softly, her eyes sad. Katniss sighed. Her fear since Sophie had started with the what's and the why's and the who's was right there in front of them.
"And the fire hurt you too?" she mumbled and Peeta and Katniss looked at each other. Sophie had asked them several times why their bodies looked like a patchwork of human skin, but they never went into details. She was too young to know.
"Yes." Peeta said and Sophie's eyes filled with tears.
"That will never happen again Sophie, you don't have to worry about the fire." Peeta assured her and Sophie nodded sadly.
"Don't cry." Katniss said catching Sophie's tears and she nodded.
"How about we have cake for dinner?" Peeta asked and Sophie's eyes opened widely.
"Cake for dinner?" she asked excitedly, tears still rolling down her olive skin. Peeta nodded.
"YES!" she yelled a big smile overtaking her face. Katniss groaned inwardly.
Peeta stood up and threw Sophie over his shoulder. She shrieked with laughter when he said that he had a bag of flour named Sophie. Katniss followed them slowly and got ready for the faces.
"There's no more cake." Sophie said looking at Peeta with her mouth open. A confused look passed Peeta's face and Katniss blushed.
"Katniss?" he asked and she sighed.
"I ate the cake." she admitted and Sophie looked at her with awe and then covered her mouth with her hands when the giggles started.
"Mommy, that was a lot of cake!" she gasped and Katniss smiled sheepishly at her daughter.
"But it was really good..." she mumbled causing Peeta and Sophie to laugh out loud.
They had Katniss' stew instead and for dessert Peeta served cheese with sweet potato jam. And while Katniss finished with the dishes, Peeta, like every night, drew something with Sophie. This time she drew a big iced cake and Katniss looking at it from behind a tree.
With a laugh Katniss stuck it to the icebox with a magnet, next to the other weekly drawings. When Peeta started on the second drawing, Sophie began to nod off on the table, so they took her to brush her teeth, to the bathroom and then they put her to the bed.
Peeta kissed her forehead and Sophie giggled sleepily.
"You poked me Daddy." she said rubbing his stubble with her small hands and Peeta smiled.
"I'll fix that tomorrow." he said and kissed Sophie's nose. Katniss hugged her daughter and kissed her on both cheeks.
"Sleep well, I love you Phi." she whispered and Sophie was out.
Peeta was waiting for Katniss with his hand on the door and like usual, he was smiling at her and maybe she was imagining things, but it looked like a knowing smile.
She kissed his cheek softly and walked quickly into their bedroom with her arms firmly crossed against her chest. She heard Peeta's heavy footsteps behind her and hurried to get inside the bathroom to brush her teeth and pee. Again.
Peeta was already in his boxers, waiting for her to leave the bathroom so he could shower quickly like he did every night after dinner so he could have ten extra minutes in bed in the morning. Katniss crossed the room silently and Peeta smiled at her.
"What?" she asked, a bit defensively. Peeta just shook his head and walked to the bathroom. Then he smiled at her and closed the door. Katniss changed quickly and laid in the bed waiting for Peeta, looking at the picture he had on his night table of the two of them and Sophie taken on her first birthday. She smiled at the photo and closed her eyes.
She woke up when she felt Peeta's weight on his side of the bed.
"Sorry." he whispered, but Katniss shook her head and looked at him while he settled the pillows, looking at her. The years have been kind to Peeta. He looks strong and healthy despite the storms that sometimes plague his head, confusing him with shinny memories.
But he is still the funny and ironic boy that she had met so many years ago. The one that went to hell but came back, the one that helped her leave the bed when she felt like nothing was good, the kind boy that had planted the primroses that Sophie watered every day. She felt lucky to say that she is his wife, she felt lucky that he is the father of her child.
"So the cake was good, right?" he asked with a knowing grin. Yes, he was golden, but sometimes he could be a smartass. She smacked him playfully on his shoulder and he laughed.
"If you want I can bring another one tomorrow"
"Stop it!" she said but the laughter in her voice made him grin like a little kid. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles while his other hand snuck around her waist, pulling her to him. She could smell his soap and the fresh mint from the toothpaste.
She linked their legs and smiled when she touched the soles of her feet to his hairy leg. It never failed to tickle her and he knew it.
Katniss's pulse quickened when he kissed her softly, his hand under her t-shirt sending shiver down her spine. She swallowed. Peeta's blue eyes were so warm and full of life that Katniss felt that every second she spent without making him happier was a waste of time.
"I really liked that cake." she mused, while Peeta kissed her neck. He hummed with laughter in his voice.
Katniss was starting to get lost in him like usual, but she put a hand on his chest and made him roll to his back. She straddled his lap and put her hands on his chest. His big hands settled on her hips and she could feel him getting hard through the boxers shorts he sleeps in.
"Hold your horses." she whispered kissing his lips. He kissed her but he was frowning a bit.
"You okay? You look nervous." he said and tried to sit up, but she held him down.
"I really liked that cake. I'm sorry Sophie couldn't eat the last piece." she mumbled and Peeta laughed.
"It's okay, she'll have plenty of cakes in the future." he said, tracing circles on her hips.
Katniss bit her lower lip and Peeta frowned again. "Do you remember the last time I ate an entire cake by myself?" she asked him, drumming her fingers against his stomach.
Peeta frowned and looked somewhere over her shoulder, then he looked back at her, still frowning. A few more moments passed before his eyes lit up.
A big smile started to form on his face.
One of joy and realization too.
"Are you...?" he mumbled and Katniss nodded.
"Yes." she smiled nervously.
"I really need you to say it because..." She leaned into Peeta and kissed his lips tenderly.
"I'm pregnant, Peeta." she whispered.
Then suddenly Peeta was hugging her and she was on his lap again and she could feel his tears on her neck while he mumbled sweet nothings into her skin.
"How?" he asked and Katniss rolled her eyes.
"Do I really have to explain the mechanics to you?" she asked and Peeta laughed, shaking his head.
"I see you everyday with Sophie and I know the pregnancy was hard for me, but she's so worth it and I know that this little one will be too."
"I love you." he kissed her. Then he took the hem of her t-shirt and put his head under it.
She shivered when his face brushed her naked breasts as his mouth reached her tummy.
"And I love you too, little one" he whispered and kissed it softly, sending a thrill down her spine. Katniss took her t-shirt off and Peeta's hair stood everywhere. She kissed him hungrily while tugging at his t-shirt.
She rocked her hips on his lap and his moan of approval paired with the growing hardness under her almost set her off.
Almost.
That night she rode him slowly, savouring every inch of his skin that was in contact with hers, feeling hyper aware of her body. How his calloused fingers felt on her nipples, how his lips left a trail of coolness on her neck, how the light hair from his stomach felt under the pads of her fingers every time she sank down onto him.
Their moans were silenced with heated kisses, their whimpers muffled against shoulders. And then Katniss collapsed against him and helped him finish until they both were breathing heavily against the sheets.
Peeta propped up on one elbow and put his hand over her stomach.
"Hi baby, I'm your daddy." he whispered and Katniss smiled.
"You are the size of a pea I think and I love you already." Katniss's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Peeta, who now was talking about her, about Sophie, the Bakery. He looked at her and smiled warmly.
"I love you, Katniss. So much."
"I love you too." She buried her face in his neck and sighed with relief.
"I never thought I would be a mother of two." she mumbled and he smiled.
"And an excellent one, I might add." he said, kissing her neck.
"Well, you're a excellent father. And don't even get me started on what an excellent husband you are." she said with a smile.
"If you want pancakes, just ask" he laughed and Katniss smiled at him.
"With strawberry jam, please." she said sheepishly. He chuckled and kissed her slowly before getting up to fetch her snack. He was on the door when Katniss called him.
"Peppermint or chamomile tea?" he asked with an amused expression.
"I mean it. You're an excellent husband and father. And I love you first of all, and not because of the pancakes and the cheese buns." she said, looking at the sheets in her hands.
Even after all these years she still struggled with words, but Peeta was the only one she didn't have to struggle with. He walked towards her and kissed her again.
"Thank you and I love you, too." he kissed her forehead and walked away from the bed.
"Peeta!" she said before his stocky frame left the bedroom.
"Hot chocolate, got it." he said with a laugh without turning around.
"Love you!" she said smiling and he chuckled.
Katniss laid with her hand over her stomach, waiting for the snack.
"And I love you too." she whispered and closed her eyes, thinking that it would be nice to have a boy with Peeta's hair. Maybe with her eyes.
She smiled when she heard his footsteps coming towards their bedroom.
She felt safe.
She felt warm.
Thanks for reading! And if you feel like it,let me know what do you think,feedback is always appreciated.
Until next time!