Author's note: Y'all, I have finished writing this whole story! I'm going to give you the last chapters as quickly as I get them back from my beta and edited on my end. I am so excited to share the end of this story with you. And I cannot wait to see what you have to say about it. I'm sure a few of you may be happy with the results of a conversation Peeta and Katniss have near the end of this chapter.
Many thanks to my beta JavisTG!
And thanks also to my besite and pre-reader writingbutunpublished.
Happy reading!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Katniss was warm. She'd never really been comfortable sleeping so close to someone, but she found it was different with Peeta. She felt the warmth all the way to her bones.
Peeta's alarm started going off and he groaned. "I've never wanted to stay in bed more."
She lifted her head off his chest as grappled for his phone. "Want me to make some breakfast?"
He grinned and kissed her forehead. "If you want. It's really early for you, though."
She sat up and stretched, the blanket pooling around her waist. She was very much aware of his gaze falling down to her exposed skin. "I don't mind." She rolled out of the bed and found her clothes. "I get up this early when I go hunting."
"I'll take a quick shower." Peeta wrapped his arms around Katniss's waist. "I have to be at the bakery by four-thirty."
"I'll see what I can throw together." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I hope you got enough rest."
"I've worked on less sleep. And at least this will be for good reason." He gave her a sexy smirk and then turned to the bathroom.
Katniss walked into the kitchen. She was very happy to see that there were plenty of options for breakfast. She pulled out bacon and eggs and sat a frying pan on the stove. She threw together a simple biscuit dough and shoved them in the oven.
Peeta stepped into the kitchen several minutes later with his hair still dripping a little onto the shoulders of his white shirt.
"How do you like your eggs cooked?" She asked as she pulled the last strip of bacon out of the pan.
"Scrambled is fine." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I didn't expect a four-course meal. I usually just eat extra pasty in the morning." He kissed her cheek.
"That's not breakfast, that's quality control." She cracked a couple eggs into a bowl and scrambled them with a fork.
He laughed and swiped a piece of bacon as he moved to lean his hip against the counter.
She poured the eggs into the hot pan. "You like gravy on your biscuits?"
"You made biscuits too?" Peeta peered into the oven. "From scratch?"
"You're not the only one that gets to be a whiz in the kitchen." Katniss playfully poked his chest. "You can do supper every night and I'll make us breakfast. Breakfast is my thing."
"Good to know." He smiled. "No gravy this time. I'll wait for that on another day."
"Okay." Katniss finished cooking his eggs and slid them onto a plate. "The biscuits should be done." She went to frying an egg for herself.
Peeta pulled the pan of biscuits out of the oven and placed a couple on his plate along with several slices of bacon.
"I couldn't find your coffee grounds." She gently flipped her egg and then put the rest of the food on her plate while it finished.
"They're in the freezer." He walked over and started the pot. "I hardly drink coffee, but I remember you saying something about it." He picked up his plate while the pot started going. "You don't have to be awake with me this early."
"Yeah, I do." She carried her plate to the table. She looked up as he sat beside her. "For right now, I want every available moment. That may change in the future, but I want it this morning."
He leaned over and stole a kiss. "You have plans for today?"
"Go home and shower." She laughed. "I have a few orders to work on, but nothing too pressing. May just go to the range for a while." She took a bite.
"I'm going to have a key made for you here." He got up and poured them both a cup of coffee. "If you want to come stay, you can. Especially when Gale has the girls. Callie and I would love to hang out with you."
"We'll see." She accepted the cup. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He sat down again. "You can go back up and sleep for a while after I leave. I don't mind." He looked at his phone. "I have five more minutes until I have to leave."
She made a face. "Do you have to?"
He nodded. "Unfortunately." He scraped the last of the food off his plate. "This was delicious. And I look forward to gravy." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll wash dishes later." He sat his plate in the sink and carried his cup toward the door. "But make yourself comfortable." He sat his cup on the floor and pulled on his coat.
She followed and held out his coffee. "Have a good day at work, honey." She said with a smile.
He chuckled. "I'll try. Want to get together for lunch?"
"Sure." She closed the door behind him after one more shared kiss.
Katniss turned to the dishes in the sink. Peeta said not to worry, but she could at least rinse everything out and stick it in the dishwasher.
She locked up and made her way back home in the dark of the early Saturday morning. The streets were relatively empty save for the people going to and from their jobs. At home, Katniss showered and gathered all that she would need to work.
The empty building was a bit of a comfort. Working with everyone milling about had been hard lately. She couldn't concentrate with the noise. And seeing Madge and Gale together through the day had been a little painful. She started seeing all the signs she'd missed those five years.
She had to figure out a way to fix it.
One of her dreams when she was younger was to be a champion archer. She'd won a few competitions in high school, but her mother was always sick and her dad was working a lot. And then they'd died and she had to put her dreams away. College was definitely out of the picture. At least she and Gale could practice together and hunt to blow off steam.
Her phone rang as she was finishing one step of her first project and moving to another on one she'd started the day before. Her heart started pounding when she saw Gale's name.
"Gale, is everything okay?" Katniss asked.
"Mom, I want come to your house." Sam said.
"Why? What's going on, baby?" Katniss picked up her purse and headed toward the front door.
"Madge is walking around the house in her underwear." Sam huffed. "I want to come home."
"In her underwear? Like only her underwear?" Katniss climbed into her SUV.
"No, she was wearing a shirt over it. But I don't like it and I want you to come get me."
Katniss let out a long breath. It wasn't even ten. "Put your dad on the phone."
"Are you going to come?" Sam whined.
"Just let me sort some things out with your dad, okay? We'll see."
Katniss heard an angry grumble and then Gale got on the line. "I think she's right to be upset, but I talked it out with Madge and she promises to wear pants or shorts everywhere. She was just a little overly comfortable."
"It's really hard for her, Gale." Katniss said.
"It is. I know it is, Katniss. And I want to make sure she's not upset by everything, but we can't walk around tiptoe all the time because our daughter might get offended."
"That's not what it's about. This is all new for everyone. And I get that Madge isn't used to taking into account other people, much less kids, but she needs to now. Just as much as Sam will need to eventually stop getting upset over small things." Katniss sighed. "This isn't even four months from me moving out. And we're both in new houses. Gale, she's not being irrational."
"I know. I agree." He said softly.
She groaned. "Do you want me to come get her?"
"She wants you to." He said, resigned. "And I want you to have the opportunity. I'm not going to tell you no."
"I think you're right about some of this. And if you and Madge have talked, that's what's most important." She chewed her lip a moment. "I'm going to come see her for a few minutes and then decide."
"Okay. See you in a bit."
Katniss walked up to the house and heard the yelling from several feet outside the door. She knocked loud enough for them to hear.
Becca opened the door and threw herself at Katniss. "Mama, Sam won't stop screaming."
"I hate you!" Sam called. "I hate all of you! No one cares about me. None of you do. I just want to run away!"
Gale opened his mouth to say something back, but noticed Katniss. "Maybe your mom can talk some sense into you."
Katniss looked around. "Where's Madge?"
"She left." Gale said. "We were trying to defuse the situation."
"She shouldn't have even been here." Sam said tearfully. "This is our time."
Katniss draped an arm over Sam's shoulder. "Let's go for a walk."
Sam huffed and walked toward the front door, swiping her hoodie off the back of the couch as she went.
They were silent for several yards before Katniss finally said, "So she was walking around half naked."
"Well, she was mostly dressed." Sam said reluctantly.
"Mostly dressed?" Katniss asked, stopping at the corner.
Sam crossed her arms. "She's not you, Mom."
"No, she's not." Katniss gently squeezed Sam's arms. "Is that what this is all about?"
Sam looked back toward the house. "Maybe."
Pulling her into a hug, Katniss said, "No one's ever going to replace me, baby. I'm still your mom. I'm always going to be."
"What if Dad marries her?" Sam clung to her mother. "And they have babies?"
"I hope if they decide to get married they'll wait a while. But if they do, it's because they love each other." Katniss held Sam out at arm's length. "And if they have babies, it won't make your dad love you any less. Do you remember when we talked about that when we told you we were having Becca?"
Sam nodded.
"It's still true." Katniss kissed Sam's forehead and steered her back toward the house. "Now, I'll let you come home with me if you really want to. But I want you to really think about it."
Sam leaned against Katniss. "Dad said yesterday that we could make pizzas and rent some movies."
"Yeah?"
Sam nodded.
"So do you want to stay and make pizza?" Katniss squeezed her shoulders.
"If Madge doesn't come back for a while." Sam said softly.
"Talk to your dad about it. Calmly." They walked into the house. "But she won't stay away forever, she's your dad's soulmate."
Sam heaved a sigh. "I know."
"You should ask him about it. Maybe it will help you understand him better. Maybe you'll start to like Madge a little more."
Sam nodded.
"So are you staying or are you coming with me?" Katniss leaned against the doorframe.
"I think I want to stay." Sam said softly.
"Okay." Katniss kissed her temple and pulled her into a hug. "I can come back if you change your mind, okay?"
Sam nodded and walked with slumped shoulders down the hall.
"You should apologize to your dad." Katniss called after her.
"Sorry, Dad." Sam hollered from her room.
"Apology accepted." Gale said in her direction.
Becca wrapped her arms around Katniss's waist. "It's good to see you, Mama."
Katniss laughed and picked her up. "It's good to see you too." She kissed Becca's cheek. "Are you okay?"
Becca nodded. "Madge played dolls with me last night."
"I'm so glad." Katniss gave her a long squeeze and then sat her down. "I want to talk to your dad a minute, okay?"
"Okay!" Becca skipped off to the other room.
Gale stepped over. "Is everything fixed?"
"Patched. For a little bit." Katniss lowered her voice. "It's insecurity. She thinks Madge is going to replace me and that if you two have kids, she'll be next."
Gale nodded. "Sounds about right. I'll figure out some stuff for us to do together."
"Maybe we can do solo weeks a few times a year. One-on-one time is going to be very important, I think. Especially for Sam. But Becca is going to need it too."
"That's a great idea. Probably best in the summer so they don't get too much of each other."
Katniss laughed. "We'll talk more later." She looked at her phone when it vibrated with a message from Peeta. She looked up. "I talked to them a little about my past lives with Peeta. I think it helped. So telling them some of the basics might help Sam's acceptance of Madge."
"I'll do that." Gale promised.
After saying goodbye to her daughters, Katniss headed toward the bakery to meet Peeta.
Cara and Callie made a pile of sandwiches for all the bakery employees. There was a large variety of meats and cheeses and breads. They'd even made pitchers of lemonade and iced tea, both sweet and unsweet.
"Make sure everyone gets some food." Cara told Conrad as she sat the second of two plates down on the table used for decorating cakes.
"This is a lot of food." Conrad pulled her close. "You've been busy."
"It was Callie's idea." Cara said, shooting a proud look at the little girl.
Peeta plucked the stacks of paper plates from his daughter's hands. "Well, thank you, Cal-Pal. You and Grandma did a great job."
"Thanks!" Callie said. "I missed you, Daddy."
"You missed me? You were asleep the whole time." Peeta lifted Callie up and kissed her cheek. "But I promise that the new house is going to be perfect."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good! Can we move in yet?"
"We'll start going through your stuff tonight." Peeta promised.
Katniss poked her head through the open back door.
The rope in the center of Peeta's chest tugged and he was pulling her through the door a moment later. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Callie and Cara made sandwiches."
Conrad called, "Hey, Peanut, why don't you take a break?"
"You sure?" Peeta sat Callie on the floor. "We've got deadlines."
Conrad indicated the table. "Can't decorate cakes when the table's occupied."
Peeta chuckled. "True." He handed Callie a plate and sat a few sandwiches on it. Then he offered Katniss a plate while he put some on his own. "Cal, if you eat those sandwiches, maybe we can ask Grandpa for some chocolate chip cookies."
"I'll eat them all up." She promised, picking one up to take a bite.
Peeta chuckled. "You guys want to go outside. It's warm out today."
"Sure." Katniss said, accepting a cup of sweet tea.
Peeta took a cup of unsweet and followed Callie out the door. They walked across to the house and sat on the porch steps.
"How was your morning?" Katniss asked.
"I've been decorating so many cakes that I can see swags every time I close my eyes." He chuckled and held out his cup to Callie.
She took a sip and then handed it back. "Yuck, Daddy! Why don't you like sugar?"
He chuckled. "Just never have liked sugar in my tea."
"I'm going to get lemonade." Callie announced, running back toward the bakery.
"How was your morning?" Peeta asked once she was gone.
"I got a bow almost to the last step. And then Sam called and I had to help Gale with a sticky situation." She took a bite of her sandwich.
Peeta gave her a concerned look. "What happened?"
Katniss shook her head. "Just Madge being a little more comfortable than she should right now. She was walking around the house wearing Gale's t-shirt over her underwear. Sam wasn't happy with it. I'm not really happy with it. But it's handled."
"Probably is a little too much."
"Yeah." She grinned. "When I stay with you, I promise not to walk around the house like that."
"Same here."
She laughed. "I'm picturing you in my shirt."
He snorted. "What? I'd be cute."
She grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his lips. "You're cute enough already." She sat back.
Callie wandered back out, clutching a cup between her small hands.
"I'm glad you're in her life." Peeta said softly. "I know we're just starting, but I can tell you're going to be a great influence on her."
Katniss placed her hand on his knee. "Thank you."
He rested his hand on top of hers. "You're welcome."
They watched Callie as she sat in the middle of the yard and sipped from her cup.
"I think I'm going to quit working for the Hawthornes." Katniss said suddenly.
Peeta choked on the bite he'd just taken.
Katniss handed over his cup and pounded his back. "Are you okay?"
He nodded and took a sip. "Are you sure?"
"I am." She took their plates and sat them behind her. Moving closer, she wrapped her arms around him. "I need to extract myself from them. It's time."
He returned her embrace. "And what do you plan to do?"
"Well, I'm going to help them find a replacement. And I may do some stuff freelance." She looked toward Callie. "I think I want to coach archery. I was really good once. And I want to encourage others to do it."
"If you want to do that, I'll support you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you so much, Katniss. I want you to do what makes your life worth living."
"I think this will." She brushed a kiss over his lips and then sat back. "You should probably finish up so you can get back to work."
"Yeah." He picked up his plate. "I've been considering a change of my own."
"Oh, really?" She leaned back against the stair rail.
"I think I want to ask my dad if I can move to a different store front and just do cakes. All the other pastry are great sellers enough that sometimes fitting in the cakes is a little rough. Like there are times Dad has to go in after we're closed for the day to bake them so they are ready." He sipped his tea. "And then I'm taking up space to decorate them when someone could be using that table to roll out cookies or something."
"Do you think he'll agree?" She ran her fingers over the back of his neck.
"I think so." He leaned back into her hand. The buzz was comforting. He indicated the neighboring building. "I've kind of got my eye on that building, so we could probably work something out there. Donuts and pies and breads in the main building and then I can lead cakes in the other one."
"Well, I wish you luck in that conversation." She kissed his cheek and then rested her head against his.
Callie looked over and giggled.
"Can I ask something about Alex?" Katniss said softly.
"Sure." Peeta wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Were you two really affectionate?"
"She liked holding hands. She really liked hugs. And we did kiss hello and goodbye. We cuddled a lot." He rubbed her back. "I think it was mostly me though. Why?"
"I never really felt right being like that with Gale. And I think that was my issue there. This feels right." She kissed his cheek again and then sat back. "I need to go get some more work done. You and Callie want to come over to my place tonight? I make a mean mac and cheese."
"Sure. What time?"
"Around six?" Katniss lifted Callie up when she ran over. "You like macaroni and cheese, Callie?"
"I love it!" Callie exclaimed.
"Then I'll make some." Katniss smiled. "And some fried chicken and corn on the cob?"
Callie nodded and rubbed her belly. "It's gonna be yummy."
"So yummy." Katniss promised. She sat Callie on the ground and accepted Peeta's kiss. "I'll see you later."
"Later." He watched her walk away and then gathered up their things to head back to work.