I completely lost interest in everything after experiencing a major panic attack brought on by an unknown source followed by a period of depression. Don't worry, I'm slowly trying to pull myself out of it and made myself write then rewrite and then rewrite again this chapter. It's not the best chapter but it does have a peak into Katniss and Peeta being naughty. So yeah, sorry for the delay and probably a shit ton of mistakes but I'm only human and Microsoft and rereading and only catch so much.

Love you.

I usher Bran, Sage, and Jack upstairs and get them situated before excusing myself down to the bakery to check on Vick and talk to Peeta. Sae is helping a customer pick out what bread would best work with the stew she was going to make for dinner. I find the two boys in the back, elbow deep in sticky dough just as I expected. Vick seemed to be doing a better job than I did when Peeta brought me to the back of the bakery to show me how things worked.

"Hey!" Peeta smiles when he looks up and sees me. "How'd it go?"

"We won. I expect Bran to go pro next year. How are you holding up Vick?"

"I didn't know baking cookies and bread was this hard," Vick said wiping the sweat off of his brow with the only clean part of forearm remaining.

"It's easy once you pick up the rhythm," Peeta says as a promise. "Where are the kids?"

"Oh, they're upstairs. I just needed to talk to you privately for a moment, but if you're busy, we can talk tonight."

Peeta gave me a concerned look. "Sure, yeah okay."

Peeta ran his hands under the running water and wiped his hands on the towel that was tucked into the waist band of his worn jeans. I let him lead us into his office and shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Peeta gives me that dad look he gives one of the kids when they start crying.

"Honestly, I'm freaking out. This is going way to fast."

"Wait, is this about last night because I just had to say it once but I won't say it again until you're ready."

"No—yes—a little bit. A kid on the team said something about us being married and having a kid and me being Bran's mom, because I'm assuming that gossip is now a class subject at school. But I asked Bran about it and he's totally fine with people saying that. He told me that he'd be okay if I wanted to be his mom; Sage and Jack were okay with it too. This is all moving too fast!" I run my fingers through the top of my hair, efficiently messing up my braid.

Fear flashes through Peeta's eyes as he rushes towards me, "I'll talk to Bran. I'll let him know that that is not okay to say. He won't talk about it again, I promise. You don't have to spend so much time with them; I'm not expecting you too. I'll hire a babysitter so we can have some alone time."

I give a sigh and take a look around Peeta's office to avoid looking at him directly in the eyes. I was just in here the other day but I didn't take the time to see the homemade artwork that litters the walls. It's changed since the first time I was in here. Where there were once drawings of three blonde children and an equally as blonde dad, there is now another girl in the mix. One with brown hair and gray eye, holding hands with the smallest boy in the drawing. I was already family.

"No, don't say anything. It's fine," I tell him.

"No, it's not. Not when you're not comfortable with it."

"But I'll get used to it. I love your kids; I'd do anything for them. It's just shocking."

Peeta gave me one of his genuine smiles. "God you're so perfect. Are you real?"

I laugh. "Yes Peeta, I'm real. But I'm far from real."

"Doubtful. Come on, I'll send Vick home and we can order some celebratory pizza."

XxX

Johanna is her annoying, over invested self come Monday. She's not very interested in work but instead wants to know every detail about how taking Bran to his soccer game went. I slipped about the mom ordeal and that led into a never ending list of questions about wedding colors and cakes flavors and if I should wear a ball or something to show off my nonexistent curves.

"Come on Kitty Kat, you've got the green light from the kids. It's time to get wifed up!"

"One, don't call me Kitty Kat, and two, nobody is getting wifed up."

"Why not? Even with three kids, Peeta is still the biggest catch in all of Twelve. You need to get a ring on it and a certificate bound by blood before he realizes how dull you are and trades you in for someone with a full sized rack and a face not permanently painted in a scowl."

"I don't scowl," I try my hardest to keep my face from contorting.

"Yeah okay," Jo laughs. "But seriously, how's it going?"

The smile I try to hide from her is all she needs for ammunition for more questions.

"I've been partially joking about this whole marriage, but damn, maybe I should really start planning!"

"We're not getting married, Jo."

"Okay," she said sounding unconvinced. "What do his kids think about you?"

"They approve," I say without divulging any information.

Johanna doesn't say anything, so I make the mistake of looking up from my notes to see her serious, dark eyes boring into me.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"I have the power to fire you, you know?"

"Johanna! You can't blackmail me with my job because I won' tell you about my relationship with my boyfriend's kids."

"There's been talk, you know?"

I roll my eyes. Of course I know. This town is so small and filled up with nosy old people that it's hard for any secrets to be kept.

"They actually think you and the baker are getting hitched with a bun in the oven."

"Well they're wrong. Peeta and I have only slept together once, and it was very PG," I add in quickly when Johanna's eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. "In fact, I woke up with a two year old in the bed."

"Have you guys said the 'L' word to each other yet?"

"God, Jo! We barely know each other."

"You keep saying that, but you spend all your time with him. How can you possibly not know him?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Can we get back to work? I want to finish this today."

XxX

I've got my head tucked against Peeta's neck with my toe curled up underneath his sweatpants clad thigh. The kids have been asleep for thirty minutes and this is the time where I'm normally leaving, but I haven't found the energy to get up yet. Peeta's been trailing his fingers up and down my side underneath my tee shirt the moment we found ourselves in this position while we watch the news, and it's doing funny things to my body. More than once I've wished to myself that Peeta's hands would just dip below the waistline of my jeans and give me what my body is craving for.

To force the dirty thoughts from my mind I think back about today's conversation with Johanna. I wasn't expecting to make any friends when I first moved back, maybe build a stronger bond with Gale, but Jo is quickly filling that role of what a best girl friend is supposed to be, despite her also being my boss.

Johanna is right; I keep saying that Peeta and I don't know each other. We do spend every day together. The only time I don't see him or the kids is when I'm at work or at my own place sleeping. It's not that I don't know Peeta, I do. He loves the color of the orange; soft like the sunset, he double knots his shoe laces as well as Sage's and Jack's and it's a pain to try to get their shoes off at the end of the day. Peeta also hates sweet tea and the only time I slept over he told me that he likes to sleep with the window open no matter how hot or cold it gets outside. When he's not busy baking, or taking care of his kids, Peeta likes to paint, but most of the time he settles for doodling on scrap pieces of paper that the kids' have left lying around.

I noticed that I actually do know a lot of things about Peeta; simple random facts that most people wouldn't know. I also noticed that though I may know Peeta, he doesn't know me as well. Subconsciously I've built a wall between us to prevent myself from getting hurt later down the line, but I already know that if this were to end, I'd end up getting hurt anyways.

"I had a pet goat when I lived in the Capitol," I whisper the first thought about myself that popped into my head.

"A goat?"

"Well, it was actually Prim's, but I bought it for her for her birthday. I had been working odd jobs to help pay for some of my mom's bills but I set aside some money to buy Prim a present. Despite living in the capitol, we were actually pretty poor and money was never spent on frivolous things such as gifts. But Prim got into the trend of putting ribbons in her hair because all of the girls at school would wear ribbons woven throughout their hair, so I was going to get her some, and on my way there I walked past this butcher shop and this old man was about to shoot this goat that was just lying there. I remember shouting at him to stop and he explained that it was sick so he had to kill it so it wouldn't infect the other goats.

I offered him some money and he accepted it without even thinking and I bought a pink ribbon to tie around her neck and then I started thinking about how I just spent my last dollar on a goat that was going to die, but it was worth it when I saw the look on Prim's face. And of course I should have known that she could heal the goat back to health. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, seeing her so happy."

"Prim is extremely lucky to have you."

"I feel guilty about moving back here and leaving her."

"You didn't leave her, she went off to college."

"Still, if I lived in the Capitol, I would be making more of an effort to see her."

"That's my fault," Peeta says guiltily.

"How is it your fault?"

"I take up all of your time. If you're not here, you're at work or you're asleep at your place. If you want some time to yourself, just say the word. I've gotten in the habit of just assuming you're going to be here and I haven't even thought about if you wanted to be here."

"Peeta," I smile up at him. "If I didn't want to be down here, I wouldn't be."

Peeta's lips touch mine and we enter a slow and sensual kiss. Despite our relationship being new, it feels like we've been together for years and years, expect for the kisses. We haven't been alone together long enough to experience each other the way we both want to. So when these nights where I do stay later and we find ourselves making out on the couch, it still feels like the very first time. Nervous kisses and caresses followed by growing encouragement.

I move to straddle Peeta's waist for easier access to his lips. My fingers slip through his muss of blonde curls, pulling lightly, enticing a groan from the back up Peeta's throat to erupt past his lips. I do it again in a way of teasing him and Peeta responds by biting down on my bottom lip lightly but enough to make me gasp and send a shock of electricity straight to my core.

Peeta's hands have been pretty tame throughout our make out session; continuing to run his fingertips delicately up and down my sides. He begins to venture further up until his thumbs swipe along the satin covered underwire of my bra. I've never wanted an article of clothing off so bad in my life. I encourage Peeta by moving his hand to cup my breast fully. He chuckles but doesn't pull away, instead flexing his fingers slightly, massaging me. Peeta's lips dip down my neck and immediately go for that sensitive bit of flesh and sucks harder than I expected making me give out of rather loud moan.

I've been hovering over Peeta's waist, using my knees to support me in tempts to make it more comfortable for Peeta. But that all went out the window the moment he gripped my ass with both hands and bringing me down so I could feel his excitement through both of our jeans. We let out a mutual groan as I shyly begin to grind my hips back and forth. The pressure of his arousal and the friction of the seam on my jeans are hitting me just right. I tip my head back, leaving a better access to my neck for Peeta to kiss.

"Katniss," Peeta grunts hotly. "I need you."

Those three words are music to my ears because I need him too. It no longer matters that kids are just a few feet away, sleeping in their own bedrooms. All that matters at this moment is Peeta and what's been locked and hidden away in his pants.

Peeta gently pushes me down on the bed the moment his bedroom door is shut and slides on top of me.

"You're okay with this?" Peeta asks before kissing me again.

"Yes Peeta," I respond in a breathless voice. I am so okay with this.

Peeta's shirt disappears as well as mine. His lips trace the outline of top of my bra softly before using one finger to pull down the cup to push up my breast. He does it more quickly to the other breast and my nipples harden into stiff peaks. Peeta doesn't take long to draw one into mouth and lave it with the flat of his tongue.

"They're prefect," Peeta says huskily, referring to my breasts.

"I think they're too small," I say without thinking.

Peeta stops giving my breasts attention and looks down at me. Even in the dark his eyes are still bright. "No, your breasts are prefect, just the right size."

I smile as Peeta returns his attention to my body, trailing hot kisses down my stomach and around my belly button. He pops the button on my jeans as he returns to kiss my lips.

"Daddy?"

Peeta and I immediately freeze and look towards the door where Jack was standing groggily, clutching his blanket in one fist and rubbing his sleepy eyes with the other.

"Uh, yeah little man?" Peeta chokes out.

"Monser in my yed. Sleep with you?"

"Not tonight, bud. Go back to bed and I'll be in in a second, okay?"

"But," Jack starts to whimper.

"I'll be right there, it's okay."

Jack turned back around and headed back down the hallway, sniffling back tears.

Realization struck me at that moment. I'm in bed without a shirt, breasts popped out of my bra, pants unbuttoned, with Peeta's erection still digging into my leg. "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." I repeat.

"It's okay, it's dark. He didn't see anything," tries to reassure me.

"This time!" I nearly shout. "What if it was Sage or heaven forbid Bran? What if we were still on the couch where it's light out?"

"Katniss calm down. It embarrassed me too, but it wasn't Bran or Sage and it wasn't in the living room. We'll just be careful next time. There will be a next time right?"

Despite wanting to vow right then and there that Peeta and I will never have sex in fear that someone will see, I remember the feeling of his lips on me and can't help but be excited for the next time we get carried away. But only if the kids are not home.

"Get a babysitter and we'll talk about it," I grumble.

"Finnick and Annie will be needing practice on being parents," I can hear the smile in Peeta's voice.

"Good, now go tend to your kid."

"Uh, can you do it? I'm still a little…" Peeta motioned to his groin region.

"How can you possibly still be hard with your youngest child coming in and finding us in that position? My libido has been shot down completely."

"What can I say? I have the most beautiful woman almost naked in my bed," Peeta kisses me innocently before I flung the covers back and got out of bed.

"Thank you; there are clothes in my drawer."

"Why do I need clothes?"

"To sleep in?"

"Peeta, I can't stay over. We both have work in the morning."

"Katniss, it's late. Just stay the night and you can get up with me in the morning and leave then." I stare at Peeta angrily but it's dark so he probably cannot see. "I'm not letting you leave, it's late."

"Fine," I grumble as I yank one of his drawers open that contain his sweatpants and pull my pants off and slide his on. I find his shirt that he was wearing before he threw it off in haste and put that on as well.

Just as I'm about to exit Peeta room he calls for me. "What?" I ask.

"I love you."

I smile and almost say it back. Almost.