Chapter 14
It's a sunny day as I wait outside the police station. Spring flowers begin to pop up alongside the sidewalk and the birds chirp happily in the blossom heavy trees. I can't decide whether to stay in the car or not and must reach for the door handle half a dozen times before scolding myself for being stupid and jumping out the car. I try to lean casually against the car but the butterflies in my stomach stop me from feeling calm.
I stare at the entrance of the police station for a long time but it doesn't open an inch. I glance at my watch again to check I have the right time and then go back to staring at the entrance. Eventually the door pushes open and Darius holds it open as a blond figure walks through. My heart jumps in relief at seeing Peeta finally free of handcuffs.
It's taken five days but Peeta is finally being released today. In the end his statement against Rye wasn't needed. It seems that Rye really does love his brother and confessed to owning the gun and cocaine that was found on Peeta. The DA had no choice but to drop the charges against Peeta. Rye is waiting to be sentenced but he's going away for a long time. I won't have to worry about him for the foreseeable future.
Peeta stops to chat to Darius and they share a laugh before Peeta steps in to give him a hug. Darius waves as Peeta makes his way down the steps and towards me. I smile a little awkwardly as he approaches. We haven't spoken since my first failed attempt to convince him to take the DA's deal and I'm not sure what Peeta's feelings are. However, I relax when he smiles warmly at me.
I step in to embrace him and he buries his head in my shoulder. I don't know how long we stand, holding each other like that, but I feel the most content in a long time. I savour his musky scent and the strength of his grip. I know I won't be the first to let go.
Peeta eventually pulls back and lets out a relieved sigh. He tips his head back so that the sun bathes his face.
"I didn't think I would miss fresh air so much," he says. "I haven't left that building in a week."
"That should be good enough reason to never end up there again," I say with a raised eyebrow.
Peeta nods his head in agreement as he scans the area, soaking in every little bit of freedom. Eventually he pulls his eyes back to hold my stare in a firm grip.
"I'm done. No more stupid and illegal decisions," he says firmly.
"I believe you," I reply.
And I really mean it. The biggest threat to Peeta is now behind bars and I honestly believe that this whole experience has shaken him and will be enough motivation to stop any temptation in the future. Dad still doesn't fully trust him but I do and I'm ready to have a normal life.
Peeta gives me a relieved smile and squeezes my waist lightly. The look he gives me tells me that he feels the exact same way.
"How's Ava?" he asks.
I smile as we finally step away from each other and turn to get into the car.
"She's very excited to see you. She has a few surprises for you," I say with a grin.
Peeta flashes me a grin in return as he hops in the car.
"I've missed her so much. I can't wait to hear all her adventures since I've been away," he replies.
I nod my head. I told Ava that Peeta would be coming home a couple of days ago. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy and she has been bouncing off the walls ever since. The last three days she has woken up every morning asking if Daddy is home yet. She's even more excited about this than Christmas.
"I think she has killed a small tree with the amount of paper she's used for drawings for you," I reply.
"My refrigerator is running out of space," Peeta says with a grin.
I laugh. I ran out of space for Ava's drawings a long time ago. I have to slyly deposit some of the older ones in the trash to make space for the new ones. This normally works but only a couple of weeks ago she asked for an old picture of Buttercup that she drew. That ended up in the trash a long time ago and I had to make up a story about how I had taken it to the office at the diner. Thankfully she forgot about the picture before she went back to the diner.
Peeta asks me a few more questions about Ava and I am honest with him about how hard she found it the first few days he was behind bars. Peeta drops his head in shame and goes very quiet as I explain it all to him. I reach out to give his hand a squeeze.
"It was a sucky situation and I hated you for a while but you did the right thing in the end," I reassure.
Peeta nods.
"But it all could have been avoided if I had just listened to you in the first place," he admits.
I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Are you saying that I was right? You never admit that," I say with a grin.
This comment relaxes Peeta and he chuckles.
"Statistically it was bound to happen sometime," he replies. There is then a short pause. "I just can't believe Rye actually handed himself in."
I silently nod my head.
"Did you get to speak to him?" I ask.
Peeta nods and then doesn't speak for a long time.
"It was weird seeing him like that. I've looked up to him my whole life and it was strange seeing him so vulnerable," Peeta replies.
"He loves you. I think I finally realised that when I saw where you grew up," I say.
"He told me he saw you there. I don't know why he goes back. I want to distance myself as far away as possible from that place," he says.
I nod my head in agreement. Peeta sighs as he leans back into the car seat.
"He told me to be happy. That if he's going to be in jail then I better not waste my life," Peeta says.
"It sounds like good advice," I reply.
Peeta turns his head to smile at me.
"I don't plan on letting him down," he replies.
The rest of the car journey stays on lighter topics and we're both laughing when I pull up outside the bakery apartment.
"Remember to act surprised when we get in. Ava wanted this to be a surprise party," I say.
"Party? There's not going to be lots of people here, is there?" he asks.
"Just my mom, Dad and Ava. Dad has promised to be nice," I say.
Peeta laughs as he puts his key in the lock.
"I am a fantastic actor. Ava won't have a clue," he replies.
I grin back at him as we make our way up the stairs to the apartment. Peeta opens the door and an explosion of colourful streamers greets us as we enter.
"Surprise!" Ava and Mom exclaim.
The colourful streamers fall to the ground to reveal a big sign that says "Welcome Home Daddy" and the whole room has been filled with orange balloons. Peeta does his best to look shocked and it doesn't take long for Ava to rush up to him.
"Wow! You did this all for me?" Peeta asks, as he gathers Ava in his arms.
Ava nods her head enthusiastically.
"Grandma helped me paint the banner and Grandpa blew up all the balloons. Are you surprised, Daddy?" she asks.
"Really surprised. You are all excellent secret keepers," he replies.
Ava beams at him and then throws her arms around his neck to hug him tight.
"I'm really happy you're home, Daddy," she says.
Peeta smiles as he holds her as close as possible.
"Me too, bug. I've missed you so much," he says.
I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face as I watch them. Any remaining doubts slip away and I know letting him back in is the right decision.
Ava eventually pulls back and tugs on Peeta's hand.
"You need to see the cake, Daddy. Mommy and I made it but it went a little wrong," she says.
Peeta raises an eyebrow at me as Ava yanks him towards the kitchen table and clambers on a chair to get a closer look of the cake.
"Are we sure this cake is edible?" he asks with a smile.
I scowl and cross my arms as I go over to join them.
"The cake is perfectly fine. I have learned some things watching you bake with Ava. It was the frosting that went wrong," I reply.
Peeta tries to hold back a laugh but when he sees the cake it's impossible to keep it in. He lets out a loud belly laugh.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I don't know. I followed the instructions on the packet but it came out all lumpy," I reply.
The cake was going so well until the frosting when I had a little disaster. The white frosting became lumpy and gloopy and no matter what I did to fix it, it became worse. I ended up trying to trickle the frosting on the cake but it just kind of fell in lumps onto the cake. It doesn't look very attractive.
Peeta steps closer to whisper in my ear.
"It kind of looks like a man has come all over this cake," he whispers.
I elbow him in the ribs.
"You have a dirty mind, Peeta Mellark," I reply.
However, the longer I look at the cake, the more I agree with him. By the time Ava helps Peeta to cut it, I can't get the thought out of my head and can't find the courage to eat it. I try to quietly push the plate away and Peeta laughs when he sees the look of disgust on my face.
The rest of the afternoon is pleasant though. We all stuff ourselves with food and then Ava drags Peeta out so she can ride her bike. Her laughter is infectious and I don't think I stop smiling all afternoon.
Eventually Mom and Dad leave and we put on a movie to try and calm Ava down. She nestles herself between us and talks throughout the whole film but I can't think of anything else that I would rather be doing.
Once the film is finished I get up to help Peeta clean up. Ava doesn't want to let her dad out of sight so even she offers to help tidy and we give her a small dust pan and brush to sweep up the streamers. Peeta and I look fondly back at her before we move to the sink to wash up. We work side by side, Peeta washing and me drying, while Ava continues to sweep behind us. Neither of us say anything for a while, both of us content, but Peeta eventually turns to address me.
"Thank you. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me enough to be in Ava's life," he says.
I smile softly back at him.
"I think this would have happened anyway. We needed you to complete our family," I reply.
Peeta smiles back at me broadly and then goes back to washing the remainder of the dishes. Nothing else needs to be said right now.
We grow as a family over the next four months. Joel's son moves back to Seam to run the bakery but keeps Peeta on as the main baker. Peeta enjoys experimenting and the town flock to the bakery to try his latest creations. Ava loves going in after school to be what Peeta calls his official cake taster and nothing new gets sold at the counter without her approval.
When Peeta and I are not working we spend as much time as possible with Ava. We find long forgotten trails for Ava to ride her bike and snuggle under blankets watching movies when it rains. It's not always easy. The three of us are all very stubborn but there is always one thing that happens every day to make me smile.
As Ava's sixth birthday approaches, I think Peeta is more excited about it than Ava. This will be the first birthday he will be here for and he goes a bit over the top as a result. He and Ava spend a whole week making the paper mache piñata and we run out of space to hold all the baked treats he makes. Peeta rents a bubble machine and water slide, which I think are a big waste of money, but keeps Ava amused for hours. Red balloons are attached to every available surface and the Frozen soundtrack plays on repeat in the background. I don't know if I should be impressed or annoyed at the extravagance.
"I'm surprised you didn't order a petting zoo," I say to Peeta.
He turns to me with a grin.
"I've got to have a few tricks up my sleeves for next year," he replies.
I shake my head but am distracted by Ava's shrieks of delight. Both Peeta and I turn to watch her jumping and twirling to pop the bubbles. I can't help but smile.
"Just look how happy she is," Peeta says.
"You don't need to buy her love. She loves you even without all this stuff," I say turning to him.
Peeta turns to face me with a smile.
"I know. But I'm always going to feel guilty for missing the first five years of her life," he says.
I nod my head in understanding and then Peeta chuckles as he reaches out to pick something out my hair.
"You managed to get some chips in your hair. I can't take you anywhere," he says with a grin.
I reach out to hurriedly comb out the chip crumbs but stop when I realise that Peeta's hand is resting at the base of my neck. My skin starts to tingle and I slowly look up at him. The laughter dies on his lips and instead he smiles at me sweetly. His thumb begins rubbing the back of my neck and we both instinctively step closer to each other. I keep hold of his stare but my eyes soon dart down to his lips. My tongue comes out to lick my bottom lip as my heart begins to pound in my chest. I let out a content sigh as I look back up at him and Peeta tips my head up closer to him. I hold my breath as I wait for him to close the remaining distance.
"Mommy! You need to come and pop the high bubbles!" Ava shouts, breaking the spell.
Peeta and I spring apart and I look over to Ava.
"Give me a second, bug," I call back.
I smooth down my hair and turn back to face Peeta. He gives me a soft smile and then watches me as I walk over to join our daughter.
I don't have time to analyse the almost kiss and how my body screamed with frustration when Ava interrupted us. We've spent a lot of time these last few months but it has always been platonic. I haven't been ready to have any other sort of relationship with him. But recently the thought of more has come across my mind more and more.
The guests start arriving soon after. It doesn't take long for the small yard to be filled with excited six year olds and it's a struggle to not trip over any of them.
Darius turns up with his new girlfriend, Lavinia, and Ava squeals when she unwraps the shiny red space hopper he gives her. Both he and Peeta help her balance on it and cheer her on as she hops in a very wiggly line. I watch Darius place a tender kiss to Lavinia's temple and am grateful there is no awkwardness between the four of us. Darius acted as a father figure for Ava when she needed one but he's stepped back without a fuss now Peeta is here.
A very heavily pregnant Madge appears with her four boys and Gale. Their sons all run off to create havoc as soon as they arrive. Madge groans as she lowers herself onto a chair in the shade and starts fanning herself.
"So the baby still hasn't arrived yet?" I say as I hand her a cool lemonade.
"No. It's seems this one takes after all the men in my life and is annoying me already," Madge grumbles.
I smile sympathetically at her as she wriggles on her seat, unsuccessfully trying to get comfortable.
"We've tried a lot of things the doctor suggested to induce labour but nothing has worked. This baby is obviously too snug," Gale says, reaching out to lovingly stroke the bump.
Madge grimaces at the touch and shifts away from his hand.
"I'm just so damn uncomfortable. I don't want anyone in a fifteen feet radius of me," she says.
Gale and I share a look.
"She'll be crying how much she loves you once the baby is born. Pregnancy hormones are a bitch," I say to him.
Gale nods his head but his attention is drawn away by one of his sons shouting.
"Ahh! I'm stuck! I don't want to come down!" Aiden wails.
Madge groans as she sees one of the twins stuck up a tree while his twin brother stands below telling him to stop being a wuss. Gale sighs as he gets up.
"I'll get him down," he says.
He bends down to kiss Madge on the cheek and then storms over to the twins. It takes a lot of coaxing but he finally gets Aiden out the tree. Aiden sniffles as he stands on solid ground again and Gale talks to him about not climbing things he can't get down from. Aiden nods his head, looking a little ashamed, and then wipes his nose with the back of his hand. But soon after another kid races up to him asking him to play and Aiden runs off completely forgetting his ordeal with the tree. The resilience of kids never ceases to amaze me.
Prim arrives with Jacob on her hip as he chews on the ear of some flannel toy. We give each other a one-armed hug and Prim's eyes widen when she sees the extravagance of the party.
"Peeta is really trying to prove something, isn't he?" she says.
"Don't even get me started," I reply.
Prim laughs but her eyes soon zoom in on the magnificent cake Peeta made. He's made a giant replica of the ice castle from Frozen out of cake complete with glitter and mini Olaf. Ava squealed with delight when she saw it and has been boasting to all her friends about it. It looks so good that I almost don't want to eat it.
Prim wanders over to get a closer look at it and shakes her head in disbelief. She sighs as she shifts Jacob in her arms.
"It's unfair. Ava is always going to have the best cakes at her birthdays. Every other kid is going to be jealous," she says.
"I think it's the parents that are more jealous than anyone. Delly has already given me a jealous look when she saw the cake," I reply.
"Until Peeta arrived she was the best cake maker. It could be fun watching the two of them tussle over the star baker crown the next few years," Prim muses.
I laugh.
"As long as Peeta keeps making cakes for me to try, I'm okay with it," I reply.
Prim rolls her eyes but then catches sight of Peeta chasing some of the kids with super soakers. Ava screams and giggles as he spurts some water at her and then all the children decide to gang up on him and point their super soakers at him. Peeta plays it up for them, dramatically falling to the ground as they continue to pummel him with jets of water.
After watching them for a while, Prim turns back to me with a mischievous smile.
"Talking about Peeta, when is he going to give you something other than cake?" she says.
"I don't know what you mean, Prim," I say, feigning ignorance.
Prim smirks at me.
"I'll spell it out for you then. When is Peeta going to put his dick in your vagina?" she replies.
"You have a dirty mouth on you, Prim," I say.
Prim laughs.
"I'm just looking out for you. The last person you slept with was Darius and that was well over a year ago. Women have needs," she says.
"So I take it you and Rory are over your sexual problems then? He can finally touch you without you winching?" I say.
"This isn't about me," Prim replies. "This is about the fact that a man loves you and you love him back. You two finally have a chance of a normal relationship. Stop being a pussy and be proactive for a change!"
I open my mouth to make a protest but Prim sticks her finger up to stop me.
"No more excuses. If you haven't slept with him by the end of the weekend, I'm disowning you as a sister," she says.
I laugh.
"Okay. I promise to speak to him," I reply.
"Talking is only the start. Remember I want full frontal nudity," she says, raising one eyebrow.
I laugh and shake my head.
"I can't believe I'm having this conversation at my daughter's sixth birthday party," I say.
Prim grins back at me and shrugs her shoulders innocently.
Thankfully I manage to avoid any further conversations like that at the party and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with Ava. She doesn't stop smiling all day.
I had hoped that all the excitement of the day would tire her out but it takes two stories each from me and Peeta before she will settle for bed. We tuck her under the covers and I bend down to give her a goodnight kiss.
"I hope you had a good birthday," I whisper, stroking her hair back.
Ava beams up at me.
"It was the best birthday ever!" she exclaims. "The best bits were the bubble machine and Daddy being there!"
I give her a big smile and then turn back to Peeta. He looks genuinely touched by her words and as I step back, he bends down to kiss her goodnight.
"I love you," he says.
"I love you too, Daddy," she replies.
Peeta smiles as he places a kiss on her forehead. We both slowly creep out the room as we tell Ava to close her eyes. We pause at the door as we make sure she is settled.
"Your eyes are still open, Ava. You need to close them or I won't make any more cakes for you," Peeta says.
Ava snaps her eyes shut and Peeta and I grin as we gently close the door.
We're silent as we walk down the stairs but I turn to him once we've reached the bottom.
"Do you want a beer before you go back to your apartment?" I ask.
I don't want him to leave just yet and my conversation with Prim still rings in my head. Peeta and I have been heading in a certain direction and it's time to confront it. Mom and Dad have gone out for the evening so we have the house to ourselves. We haven't had a better opportunity.
Peeta smiles back at me and nods his head.
"Sure. That would be nice," he replies.
I smile back before heading into the kitchen to grab two beers. When I come back through we settle on the couch in the living room. We both take long sips before we say anything.
"You did a good job with the party. It's all anyone is going to talk about next week," I say.
"Thanks. I'm just glad Ava was so happy. That's all I want for her," he replies.
I nod my head in agreement.
"Do you remember when she was born? How scared we were that we were going to screw her up?" I ask.
"I did a good job trying to fuck things up for her. You have to take most of the credit for the amazing little person she is today," Peeta replies.
I nod my head and take another sip of my beer. Peeta smiles at me.
"The day she was born was the happiest day of my life. I didn't realise I could love two people so much," he adds.
I gulp down my beer and stare at him carefully. This is my opening to discuss what Prim and I talked about earlier so I choose my next words carefully.
"And do you still feel that way about us now?" I ask.
"Do you really have to ask?" Peeta says with a smile.
I smile too as I shrug a shoulder.
"You haven't said anything in a while. I didn't want to assume," I reply.
Peeta's smile gets wider.
"Of course I love you. I always have. From the moment I met you, everything has always come back to you," he says.
"Then kiss me," I say, putting down my beer.
Peeta smiles again as he puts down his beer and leans in closer to me.
"You're bossy, you know?" he says.
"You'll get a kiss out of it, so don't complain," I reply.
Peeta shakes his head as he slides a hand up my neck.
"Not until you tell me how you feel," he says.
I tip my head closer and move my body nearer to his. I look him deep in the eyes as I say my next words.
"I love you, Peeta Mellark," I say.
Peeta grins at me before pulling me up to kiss him. My arms immediately wrap around his back and he tugs me so that I sit in his lap. My hands trace the outline of his spine as he locks my head firmly in place. He opens his mouth to let me in and I greedily lap him up. Our tongues tangle together as I push my breasts against his firm chest. We both groan as we begin to push and pull against each other.
I drag my lips away from his, and Peeta begins planting hot kisses against my neck and collarbone. I'm breathless and hold his head in my hands as we begin to rock against each other but I don't want this to happen here. Not on the couch that my daughter watches Frozen on.
"Upstairs. Now," I pant as Peeta begins to suckle on my ear lobe.
He nods and releases my ear with a pop and then stands to offer me his hand. I smile as I slip my hand in his and he pulls me towards him to give me a soft kiss. The kiss changes the pace and we walk slowly up to my bedroom. Hands trail up and down the other's arm, and skim across our backs, but we don't kiss each other. Instead gentle caresses slowly stoke the flame.
I quietly close the door of my bedroom and turn to find Peeta giving me a look so tender and sweet that it takes my breath away. He reaches out and gently tugs me to him. His hands tangle in my hair and he places a soft kiss on my nose.
"I'm going to take my time with you tonight," he whispers.
I can only nod before he leans down to give me a lingering kiss. The kisses continue to be slow as we slowly remove garments of clothing off each other. Peeta's shirt. My dress. His jeans. My panties. Each item is removed and deposited in a pile on the floor. We smile softly at each other once we are both completely bare and Peeta skims his hands across my shoulders, over my chest and then down to my breasts. His touch is almost too soft at first but then he runs a thumb around my nipple a couple of times before pinching it hard. I gasp and my nipples instantly become rock solid. I step into him and pull him down for a deeper kiss.
Peeta grabs hold of my waist and spins us around so he can walk us towards my bed. He slowly lowers me on to the mattress, our bodies never breaking apart. Once lying on the bed, I open my legs for him and he nestles between them. I feel his dick hard against my thigh and trail my hands down to his ass to squeeze it and push him closer to me.
Peeta groans as he pushes his body in closer to mine and drops his mouth from my lips. He rests his forehead against my shoulder as I roll my hips into him a couple of times and he lets out a few curse words.
"Shit, Katniss. You've always known just how to play me," he says.
I grin in satisfaction and buck my hips up into him one more time for good measure. He swears again as he must feel the wetness between my thighs and then descends his mouth down to torture my breasts. He starts by placing soft kisses on my breast, each getting a little firmer as he closes in on my nipple. He then uses the flat of his tongue to slowly lick around my areola. I writhe and whine for more but he spends his time reacquainting himself with my breast. I become hot, sweaty and desperate. Finally, he takes the whole nipple in his mouth and sucks hard. I let out an embarrassingly loud moan, and then clamp down on my fist to make sure I don't wake Ava. Peeta smirks against my breast as he fingers move down to my dripping centre and pushes my folds apart.
I'm becoming delirious on the pleasure he is giving me as he strokes my walls and continues to suckle on my breast. He eventually moves to give the same treatment to my other tit but at the same time reaches to push down on my clit. My nails dig into his back as he pleasures me at two points. I almost completely lose it when he sticks two thick fingers inside of me and I can only rock against him as the coil in my belly goes tighter. It all becomes too much too quickly and I come hard around his fingers.
His lips and fingers continue to move against me as I ride out my orgasm and I push my head back against the pillow to try and regain my breath. Peeta slowly kisses his way up my chest and towards my mouth but my lips can barely function as he places a kiss on them.
"Don't tell me you are tired out already?" Peeta says with a grin.
"We're not twenty-one anyone," I pant.
Peeta grins at me as he strokes the side of my face and places a kiss on my forehead. It takes me a moment for me to come down from my high but it doesn't take me long to realise that Peeta is still hard and ready against my thigh. I shift underneath him before wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing his dick into my soaking folds. I reach up to give him a lingering kiss.
"Ava could wake up at any moment. You better take advantage of me," I say with a wicked grin.
Peeta grins back at me before bending down to give me a bruising kiss. We kiss like this for a few moments as I let my hands trail over his body before I tell him there are condoms in the drawer.
He gets off me briefly to retrieve them and I insist on rolling the latex down his length. Peeta watches me with a look of complete love and I soon pull him back on top of me. I reach down and position him at my entrance. We pause just as his tip dips into my entrance and I look deep into his eyes.
"I think I was always meant to love you," I say softly.
Peeta smiles at me softly and gives me a tender kiss as he slowly slides into me. Once he's buried to the hilt we pause again as we savour the moment. We share one more sweet kiss before I wrap my legs around his waist and encourage Peeta to move. He moves slowly at first with long and steady thrusts but these become more erratic the closer we both get to the edge.
My hands can't get enough of him and my lips kiss every available inch of skin to me. When Peeta dips his hands down to stimulate my clit it doesn't take much longer for me to come the second time. Peeta thrusts a few more times before he too joins me in coital bliss. He stays inside me a moment longer before kissing my forehead and rolling off me. I instinctively roll onto my side and place my head on his chest, my hand above his heart, just like I used to do so many years ago. Peeta's hand tangles in my hair as he gently massages my scalp.
"I'm glad some things don't change," he says.
I laugh lightly as I throw my leg over his hip. This all feels so familiar but I know we are in a much better place this time. We'll be stronger now as a family after everything that happened.
"You're right about that. Once again you will have to face my disgruntled Dad tomorrow as you try to explain why you slept over last night," I say with a grin.
Peeta laughs and then pulls me up so I'm straddling his lap. His hands reach up to tweak a nipple.
"If I'm already in trouble I might as well carrying on doing the thing that got me into trouble in the first place," he replies.
I laugh before Peeta sits up to kiss me fiercely.
A/N: So we've come to end! Only a short epilogue will be posted next week. Thank you to everyone that stuck with Everlark on this ride. It hasn't been easy by a long shot but I hope you are happy with how it ended.