Hi guys, it's been a while but here I am with the final chapter of Happy Anniversary. I hope you guys can forgive me for the long wait. Anyways this chapter has no smut it's just sweetness. I still hope you like this final part, let me know what you thought :).

Thanks to JHsgf82 for pre-reading, I really appreciate it ❤️
Enjoy!

4th anniversary

"Where are we going?" asks Katniss for the hundredth time in the last half hour. We're four years together today and I have a surprise for her, but I'm not going to tell her what it is, yet. Katniss is losing her patience, though; fortunately, we're almost there.

"We're almost there. Just ten more minutes," I tell her.

"Are you really not going to tell me where we're going?"

I grin deviously; I've always liked her curiosity. "Nope."

Katniss huffs and watches out the window of the car, watching the trees and fields pass. The wind streams through the half-open window and the loose tresses that escaped her braid dance around her face.

"You better have food with you," Katniss mutters with that adorable scowl of hers on her face, but there is no bite in her voice, so I know she's not really mad. And of course, I packed food. A picnic date isn't complete without food. Alhough, instead of responding, I turn the radio on.

After one song, Katniss begins to hum along, and I relish the sound of her voice. It's so beautiful and husky but smooth at the same time. Her voice wraps around me like a silk blanket. I can't contain the smile on my face. She doesn't notice and keeps humming and singing.

Soon, we arrive. I park the car and turn the engine off. Katniss looks through the window, at the trees, and then back at me. "You took me to a forest far away, huh? So, you are a serial killer," she teases, with a smile on her face.

I laugh a full belly laugh at that, moisture forming at the corners of my eyes. "Says the one who has a bow and arrows."

Katniss laughs too. "And I'm not afraid to use them."

"Oh, believe me, I know," I say with a wink.

She shoves my shoulder playfully and smiles. "Shut up."

I cup her face in my hand and close the distance between us to kiss that beautiful smile off her face. Before she can deepen the kiss, though, I pull back. Katniss whimpers in protest. She opens her eyes, and they lock with mine.

"I really want to continue kissing you, Katniss, but sitting in the car is not exactly the surprise I planned," I tell her softly.

"Okay." She nods. She steals one more kiss before unbuckling her belt and opening the car door. I unbuckle and step out, too, and look around. The scenery is beautiful; trees surround us, and you can see the mountains in the distance. I turn my head to Katniss and see her standing with her eyes closed, breathing in the mountain air. And I know that this was the perfect place to bring her to.

I open the trunk and grab the basket I packed earlier today and the orange blanket‒Katniss got it for me on my birthday. "Here, let me take this." Katniss takes the blanket out of my hands and hugs it to her chest. "Sooo, which way?"

I close the trunk and lock the car before taking her hand in mine. "This way, milady." I pull her with me towards the path that leads into the woods. I came here two weeks ago to look for the perfect place to bring her and pop the question. The question. I know the right moment has come and that she's ready to get married, but I'm still so damned nervous. The engagement ring is burning a hole in my pocket.

We walk in silence for ten minutes before Katniss speaks again, "How did you find this place, Peeta? It's beautiful."

"I googled: where can you best murder your girlfriend and hide the body?" I tease.

Katniss bursts out laughing. "Wow, you've really thought about it, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty serious about it. It's my first time, you know."

She slaps my arm, and still laughing, she says, "Stop it!"

I laugh too. "Okay, okay. I found it via Gale; I asked if he knew of a nice hiking trail close by, and he told me about this one." I also asked Gale for his blessing; it seemed the right thing to do, him being the brother she never had.

I asked her mother, Lily, and her sister, Primrose, for their blessings, too. They were all thrilled, even Gale. I hadn't expected his enthusiasm, especially if I think back to how he acted when we first started dating. He told me, though, that he was only 'being a big brother' in the beginning, that he really likes us together and that he wants Katniss to be happy.

"You asked Gale?" asks Katniss, surprise evident in her voice.

"I did. He knows more about the forests around here than me, and I wanted to go to the best one," I answer. The trees surrounding us get thinner with the moment, and soon I can see the meadow that I discovered the last time I was here. "He didn't know about this, though," I say, pointing through the opening in the trees to the meadow full of flowers.

Katniss follows my pointed finger, and her eyes widen when she sees the meadow. "Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it's a beautiful meadow full of dandelions and other wild flowers, then yes, it is what you think."

"No way." Katniss looks from me to the meadow and back to me. And then she drops the blanket she was still carrying and launches herself at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you so much, Peeta."

I catch her and hold her tight against me, burying my face in her neck, my heart growing ten times bigger. "You're welcome, Katniss. I love you, too."

After a few minutes Katniss extracts herself from my embrace and picks the blanket up from the ground. "Come on, let's find a place to sit and eat," I say, holding my hand out to her. She doesn't take it, though. Instead she grins wickedly and takes off before I can even blink.

"You'll have to catch me first, Mellark!" she shouts over her shoulder.

I burst out laughing and follow her. Katniss is fast, but she's laughing almost hysterically, which makes her slow down. "Oh, I will, Everdeen!"

Within a few yards I catch her around the waist and she shrieks. I spin her around and her laugh rings through the meadow. The sound is so sweet and full of warmth, it makes my heart glow. I'm so hopelessly in love with Katniss. Everything feels so right with her. I can't wait until she's my wife. If she says yes, of course. I'm 99 percent sure she's gonna say yes, though.

"Peeta! Peeta! Let me go!" Katniss giggles. I slow to a stop and gently set her back on the ground. I press a kiss to her cheek before letting her go completely. She turns around, though, and weaves her fingers through the curls at the nape of my neck.

Katniss locks those enchanting eyes of hers on mine and pulls me down for a kiss. It's sweet and gentle, a promise for more to come. And we'll be fulfilling this promise later tonight when I get her home with my ring on her finger.

The grumble of Katniss's stomach interrupts us, and we break out in a fit of laughter again. "Sounds like you could use some cheese buns."

"You made cheese buns?" Katniss asks, surprised. Like I never make them for her.

"Yeah, my girlfriend likes them, so you know, I made them," I tease.

"So, you have a girlfriend? That's a shame. Is she hot?"

"Ahh, yes, she is hot as hell. And the best girlfriend ever."

Katniss blushes. "Just so you know, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, you do?" I muse, arching an eyebrow.

"I do. I bet he's hotter than your girlfriend."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's impossible."

Katniss's fingers tighten in my hair. "I love you, Peeta."

I smile goofily, butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach. "I love you, too, baby."

Katniss buries her head in my neck and sighs happily. "But you're also a pain," she mutters. And I burst out laughing again.

"Come on, let's go sit and eat," I say, once I've calmed down a bit.

We walk a bit further till we find a good spot. Katniss lays down the blanket and sits down. I sit down next to her and unpack the basket. "We got cheese buns, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies and brownies." With every baked good that I unpack, Katniss' eyes get wider.

"Oh my god," Katniss moans, and fuck, I already feel myself getting hard. "All my favorites!" she exclaims happily. The smile on her face is priceless and makes the hours it took me to bake all of it completely worth it.

"You should be glad that I love you so much," I tease her.

"Oh, shut up. You own a bakery!" Katniss laughs, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot." I have to bite my lip to stop the smirk that threatens to split my face in two. I feel happy, so incredibly happy. All because of the goddess before me. Call me sappy and cheesy; maybe I am, but it's the truth.

Katniss shoves me hard; she's small, but her strength would surprise you. I manage to stay upright, though. Lying on my back is for later, preferably with her on top of me. "You're a jerk, Mellark. But you're my jerk. All mine."

The ring burns a hole in my pocket again. Instead of proposing right there and then, I lock my eyes on hers and say, "For as long as you'll have me."

Katniss leans forward and gives me a soft kiss. Her eyes search my face before she opens her mouth and whispers, "Always."

My heart skips a beat. Always. Always. Always, my brain chants over and over again. Now I'm 100% sure she's going to say yes when I ask her. I smile at her, and then her stomach grumbles again, telling us not to forget the food in front of us.

"Let's eat! I'm starving," Katniss says. "I'm starting with a cheese bun. You want one, too?"

"Hm, I'm going for a cinnamon bun, but thanks." I grab one out of the cake box where I put all the pastries and take a bite. Cinnamon buns have always been my favorite, and I spent so much time perfecting them, fluffy but still gooey in the center. Now they're one of the best-selling items of the Mellark Bakery.

"How was your week?" asks Katniss with her mouth still half-full from the cheese bun. It was a busy week with both of our jobs, so we haven't talked much. I'm glad she asked because a lot has happened.

"Busy but good. I meant to tell you last night, but I'm thinking about promoting Thom to head baker. So that we're with two, which means I can take more time for other things around the bakery and have more time at home."

"Really? Thom will be so happy! And now you can finally do the remodeling you've wanted to do! I'm proud of you, Peeta. I know that with how much you love baking you find it hard to give others your tasks," she says excitedly.

I smile. "Thanks, baby. I think Thom is a really good fit for head baker, since he has been at the bakery nearly from the beginning. And yes, the remodeling is what I'll mostly be working on; the walls really need a new color, and I think I'm going to change the seating here and there. Oh, and also, I need your help testing some new pastries that I want to put on the new menu."

"I will always be available for tasting pastries!" Katniss smiles widely. I think she only smiles this widely when the conversation is about food, or Prim, and okay, maybe if it's about me, too. "Also, I completely agree. I can help you paint if you'd like."

"I would love that; I still have to pick a color, though."

"Maybe a soft color, so you can hang some of your paintings on the wall. It would really be beautiful, and you can show off your other talent at the same time."

"That's a really good idea; I love that," I say appreciatively. "But enough about me, how was your week, my love?"

Katniss sighs, but there's a promising sparkle in her eyes. "It was very busy; I had lots of meetings, but the half of it was so boring I could sleep through them. But I stayed awake and took notes. Oh, almost forgot, there's a new client who wants us to redesign the huge garden behind his villa. Haymitch called me into his office and told me he wants to give the job to me, which would be huge for my career."

"Oh my god, Katniss! That's great! You deserve it; I am so proud of you!" I stand and take her hand to pull her up with me, almost knocking the half-eaten cheese bun out of her hands.

"Peeta, careful, my cheese bun!" She laughs.

"I don't care. I want to give you a hug; this is so amazing." And I also want to ask you a very important question, I think to myself.

I step away from the blanket and food and guide her towards me. When she's close enough, I put my arms around her waist and pull her into me, burying my face into her neck. She puts her arms around my neck in return. "Thank you, baby. I'm really excited about what I can do with that garden; it's so big."

"I am sure you're gonna make it really beautiful."

I slowly pull my head back, out of her neck, so that we're facing each other. This is it; this is the moment to ask her to be my wife. I had a whole speech in my head, but it's slowly slipping away… Oh, fuck it; I'm going for it.

"I have a present for you; it is our fourth anniversary, after all," I say, hoping she can't hear the nerves in my voice.

"You're so sweet, baby, but you're not the only one. I got you something, too," Katniss says a little shyly. "But you can give yours first," she adds, now grinning.

I put my hand in my pocket and grab the small blue velvet box. While taking it out of my pocket, I slowly begin to lower myself onto one knee. When Katniss notices what I'm doing her eyes grow a little wide, and she clasps her hand over her mouth. Before she can ask what I'm doing, I begin to talk.

"Katniss Everdeen, my love," the words start flowing and I see her start to tear up, "you're the bravest, sweetest, funniest, smartest person I know. And I've known for a few years now that you're the one for me, and I know it's not going to change now or ever. I want to go on every adventure with you, to every meadow with you. You're my person, Katniss, and I hope you will allow me to be yours. Will you marry me?" I open the ring box, revealing the simple but beautiful pearl ring, and I keep looking at her while waiting for her answer.

I don't have to wait long, though. "Yes! Yes, I'll allow it, Peeta! Yes, I want to marry you."

My face breaks out into the biggest smile I've ever had. Katniss gives me her right hand, and I take the ring out of the box and gently put it on her ring finger. She pulls me up and jumps into my arms; I catch her around her waist and hug her tight.

"I love you the most, Peeta. Always." She beams, smiling so widely that her cheeks must hurt. One single tear slides down her beautiful face, and she lets it, not bothering to wipe it away but instead holding onto my neck. "And I love the ring, too. It's so beautiful, and it matches my earrings, necklace, and bracelet."

I know exactly how she feels. I could cry, too, and I think I'm smiling just as widely as she is. "I love you, too, Katniss. More than the most. I'm glad you love it; pearls make me think of you because they're perfect."

"You're perfect. This is perfect." She blushes. "I'm glad you did it here in this meadow, instead of in front of the Eiffel Tower with all those people around."

"The Eiffel Tower?" I say, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Katniss smiles secretively and puts her feet back on the ground. "Well, that's my present to you, baby. We're going to Paris for a week."

I feel my eyes growing wide. "No way! Oh my god, really? Paris? That's amazing!" I laugh out of excitement; I can't help it.

"Yes, really. I know you've wanted to go there forever." Katniss smiles, her face beautiful and sweet.

I hug her again, holding her tightly against me. "Thank you, baby. The best present ever."

"Well, I don't know about that; this ring is pretty good, too." She laughs. And I laugh along with her, feeling so happy I could freeze this moment and live in it forever. But that's not what's going to happen because we're going to live our best lives, together, and I can't wait.

Thank you so much for reading! I really really appreciate that you took the time ❤️
I hope you liked it, let me know :))