Chapter 8

December

I rush into the bakery already 20 minutes late. I have had the morning from hell. Sage has caught her first cold and has been sleeping terribly at night. I think I got about 80 minutes of sleep last night as I stayed up late to nurse her back to sleep. She then made a big fuss this morning refusing to eat any of her breakfast and knocking her sippy cup all over the floor. When I did eventually get some food in her she just threw it all back up.

It's only 7.50 in the morning and I've already had enough of this day.

I burst into the staff room to dump my bags before going out front to help with the morning rush. Peeta is inside drinking a mug of coffee and reading some recipe book when I enter and gives me a welcoming smile.

"Rough morning?" he asks sympathetically after he sees my scowl.

I give him a heavy sigh as I tie the strings of my apron round my waist.

"This cold Sage has got is an absolute nightmare! She cries constantly. I've forgotten what sleep feels like," I rant. "I swear she got this from her father. He always thought his world was going to end the minute he got a sniffle."

"What happened to the overly paranoid mother from the beginning of the week? You were convinced Sage had some terminal illness," Peeta jokes.

"I'm working on about 6 hours sleep for the week. I can't wait for her to get over this thing!" I say exasperated while arranging the reindeer ears on my head. All staff are required to wear them to promote our new reindeer cupcakes and to help spread the Christmas cheer.

"I hate to see Sage poorly. I'm sure it will clear up soon," Peeta reassures.

I smile at him gratefully and am about to go through to the front when Peeta stops me.

"Emm, Katniss. You have something on your shirt," he points out.

I look down at the top of my shirt and see that sure enough Sage has left me with a little present this morning. A yellowish green mush is smeared across the top of my shoulder. I scrunch my nose in disgust and pick at the top of my shirt.

"Oh crap! No wonder that man was looking funny at me on the bus. Stay away from me today. I am a disaster zone!" I exclaim.

Peeta chuckles lightly.

"It's not funny! This is my life!" I reply dramatically.

This just makes Peeta laugh more. I hit him on the arm. He feigns being hurt and begins rubbing the spot where I hit him.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he apologises. "I keep a spare polo in my office. You can wear that for the day. I think some of my customers might have a problem with my staff smelling like squashed pears."

Peeta stretches out to pick at my shirt just above the vomit stain. I sigh and hang my head. The sad fact is that I have become accustomed to smelling like various squashed and pureed food. A meal time doesn't go by where Sage doesn't manage to get some of her dinner on me.

Peeta gives me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and takes me through to his office where is chucks me his spare polo shirt. I catch it expertly and make my way to the bathroom to get changed.

The shirt is way too big for me. Peeta is a lot broader than me. On him the shirt hugs his body emphasising his muscular physique but on me the shirt hangs off my body like a small tent. And yet I can't help but savour the feeling of wearing an item of his clothing. It even smells like him, cinnamon and dill, and I can't help but feel a sense of pride that I get to wear something of his. It's what a girlfriend would do.

I stop myself from letting my thoughts linger on that for too long. I'm not allowed to think about that. It's not going to happen.

Peeta and I have barely spoken about my attempt to kiss him. The day after he cornered me and tried apologising again. I told him I didn't want to talk about it and avoided him for the next few days utterly embarrassed about the whole situation. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Every time I looked at him I just remembered his rejection and couldn't bare the pain it caused me.

I hadn't even realised I had wanted him so much. Up until that night he had just been my friend. But Finnick's remarks and his friends knowing looks opened my eyes and I unexpectedly realised I had liked him that way for a while. Maybe even since that staff party where he told me about Cashmere and defended me in front of his mom.

That night he had talked about wanting someone who took his breath away whenever he saw them. I now understand what he means. Sometimes when I come into work in the morning I momentarily lose my train of thought when I see his blonde curls fall into his crystal clear blue eyes as he kneads dough or he is studying the figures intently. He is so beautiful and charming and kind and I can't get him out of my head.

I did reach out to him again a couple of weeks ago when I realised how much I missed him. I missed talking about the bands we like. I missed telling him about Sage. I missed him laughing at my disastrous attempts at trying to help him cook. Without me even realising it he had become my best friend and I just wanted that back. I told him I understood that he was just doing what he thinks is best for me. I told him I wouldn't hold his rejection against him. I swallowed my pride and tried to forget how my heart picks up whenever he is near. Our relationship has got some way back to normal but boundaries have been set. We still talk like normal at work but his evening cooking sessions at my house have become limited to once every couple of weeks. He is still my friend but it still doesn't stop me craving more.

I leave the bathroom and trudge back through to the staff room to put away my ruined shirt. Peeta raises an eyebrow at me as I enter when he sees me in his baggy shirt.

"Don't say anything," I warn as I see the amusement in his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't a member of the wrestling team like you were but I can still take you out with a bow and arrow."

Peeta laughs before moving towards me and tucking a strand of hair that has escaped from my braid behind my ear.

"I was just going to say you look better in it than I do," he says looking down into my grey eyes.

I stare back up at him, my heart running a million miles an hour. It scares me how much this man effects me. Moments like this don't make it any easier for me to try and get over him. How can I when he looks at me with such intensity? When he looks at me like this I can't help but hope that maybe he feels the same.

I am the first to break eye contact wanting to avoid getting lost in his gaze.

"Well I better get out there. Bonnie will be ready to murder me if I don't get out there soon," I say stepping back and away from him.

Peeta gives me another one of his warm smiles.

"I couldn't have that. Who would eat all the cheese buns we make," Peeta says with a cheeky smile.

I give him an awkward smile in return before walking out the door and trying to forget how kissable his lips looked just then.

Just as my day is looking up, the morning rush has slowed and I actually have time to eat more than a banana, it takes a turn for the worse. I see her knee high, brown leather, designer boots before anything else as I bend down to write on the specials board. As I straighten up I see her stylish red winter coat, polished chocolate nails perched on skinny hips and sleek blonde hair framing her ice cold eyes. She looks down at me with an amused smirk.

"Looks like I owe Clove 50 bucks," Glimmer sneers. "I bet you would have been fired before Christmas break."

I push my shoulders back and stand tall before plastering on my best customer smile.

Great. Princeton must have let out for Christmas break.

"Funny. I bet my mom that you would have flunked out of college by now too," I retort.

Glimmer narrows her eyes at me.

"You're just jealous that I'm actually going places where as you are stuck in that filthy suburb with your little bastard and no hope of getting out," she replies. "Maybe you could give MTV a call. They love to make "documentaries" about pathetic losers like yourself."

I clench my fists at my sides and bite my tongue. College has not changed her in any way. She is just as immature and shallow as before.

"Don't talk about my daughter in that way," I growl.

This has no effect on Glimmer and she just carries on.

"You're lucky that my brother has a soft spot for charity cases. Do you think anyone would actually want to hire a no hoper like you?" Glimmer adds.

I can see in her eyes that she is challenging me to respond. Probably so she can go home and tell Mommy and get me fired. But I have come a long way from that impulsive 17 year-old- school girl. I will not let her goad me into a fight this time. Instead I plaster on a sweetly sick smile before answering her.

"I take it you are here to see Peeta. I know it isn't for the cakes. Peeta showed me those pictures of you in kindergarten. If I had been that chubby I wouldn't eat cakes anymore either," I reply.

I can see the mortification in Glimmer's eyes at my comment. Peeta had been more than delighted to share some family snaps of the little Mellarks. It turns out Glimmer hasn't always been the slim glamazon she is today.

She makes an annoyed huffing sound and storms past me and into the back. I catch a snippet of her yelling at Peeta for showing me those pictures before the door closes blocking her cries out. I smile to myself after she leaves It was immature to stoop to her level but it didn't mean I enjoyed it any less.

A few days later I finally get a day off and have time to put up the Christmas decorations up in the house. Sage's first Christmas is only 5 days away and I want everything to be perfect for her. I have been working extra hours at the bakery so I can save every cent to make this Christmas special for her.

However even with the extra money I am still frustrated about the amount I can afford. I have had to buy all her toys from the super saver store and the tree is too skinny. I hate that I can't afford to give her the best. The house is seriously lacking in festive cheer and I am determined to make this one aspect that doesn't look cheap and tacky.

As soon as Delly discovered that my house was barren of decorations she demanded that I invite the girls round to help put them up and catch up on gossip. I have come to realise that you can't stop Delly once she has got an idea and happily let her plan the whole thing. Her, Madge and Rue, along with Chase, all appeared on my doorstep with boxes of decorations, Christmas cookie dough and egg nog.

"I'm so glad I've found a use for all my old college decorations!" Delly squeals as she begins unpacking a huge box of red and gold tinsel.

"We do have our own decorations you know," I reply as I begin helping Madge unwind the coloured Christmas lights.

"I'm sure you do. But wait until you see what I can do with them!" Delly exclaims. "Our sorority house always won the best decorated house on campus!"

I laugh at her enthusiasm. I didn't think I could like a person as excitable at Delly. She is just so cheery all the time and I wonder how she doesn't get tired from it all. But she is just so god damn nice. I don't think she has ever said a bad word about anyone. It's hard not to like her.

I've continued to develop a friendship with both her and Madge. They are both pretty down to earth people and I can see why Peeta holds them in such high regard. Like withPeeta, I find I have a lot in common with Madge. We're into the same music and both played musical instruments when we were kids. She has a quiet confidence that I admire. She's definitely more than the pretty Mayor's daughter.

The tree already stands in the corner waiting to be decorated. Both Chase and Sage sit in their bouncy chairs mesmerised by all the bright lights and colours. I see Sage eyeing the gold tinsel with awe so I bend down to hand her a bit to play with. She handles it with awe for a while before excitedly waving it about the air with a big smile on her face. Chase watches her amazed until Rue hands him his own bit of tinsel and he inspects it a lot more warily than my daughter.

All the girls look down at the two of them happily as we watch them enjoy the simple things.

"Sage is going to have a field day with all the wrapping paper on Christmas day," I state.

Rue nods her head as she waggles a piece in front of Chase.

"I hear you had a run in with Glimmer," Madge says going back to the Christmas lights.

I turn to face her with a heavy sigh.

"I had kind of forgotten her while she was at Princeton. Is it too much to ask she meets a guy there, marries him and never comes back?" I groan.

Madge smiles.

"Her and Peeta are completely different people. I never could stand her. She used to burst in on us as kids whenever she wasn't getting enough attention," Madge replies.

"She just needs to mature a bit. I'm sure college will do her a world of good," Delly replies, always one to be diplomatic.

"We'll see," Madge says. "Don't let her get to you. You're a much better person than she is."

I smile gratefully at Madge and Rue who nods her head in agreement. I like that I now have friends who stick up for me.

Madge begins hanging the Christmas lights around the window. As she does so the sound of a motorbike echoes in the street. Madge peers out the window to get a look and then raises her eyebrows in appreciative surprise.

"Who's tall, dark and handsome?" she inquires pointing to the tall dark figure out the window.

I peer over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the person she is looking at.

"That's Gale," I reply stepping back from the window.

"You know him?" Madge asks curiously.

"Sort of," I say. "He was sort of my best friend. Before Sage was born."

I begin taking ornaments out their wrappings hoping the subject will change soon. Sadly that part of my life is over.

Madge smiles at me sympathetically before turning back to take another look at him. It's clear something about him has piqued her interest. I should tell her not to waste her time. Gale would never go for a girl like her. Too rich for his liking. And then there's the fact he hasn't ever committed to a girl in his life. There's always another skirt to chase. That never bothered me before but after the way I was treated by Thom I now hate how Gale acts towards girls.

"I need to get laid," Madge moans as she finally draws her attention away from the window. "I'm just so sick of all the guys my dad parades in front of me. They are all so corporate and with no personality."

"I'm telling you Gale is not the answer. He just cares about where the next party is at. He's well known by the cops" I reply.

Madge nods her head in understanding.

"I suppose that's life. Why is a bad boy so attractive?" she bemoans.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Because we think we can change them," Rue pipes up handing Madge a cup of egg nog. Madge accepts it with a smile and nods her head. She takes a sip and then looks back at me.

"So if you guys were best friends, did you ever take him for a test drive?" Madge asks with a suggestive smirk.

I give her a coy smile.

"I've never asked if you've slept with Peeta," I retort.

Madge raises her eyebrows.

"Avoiding the answer. I'll take that as a yes!" she exclaims. "Tell me, how big is he?"

I shake my head at her and smile. I can see Delly looking uncomfortable. She doesn't like talking about sex. It's a very private thing for her. I'm pretty sure she referred to her virginity as her flower.

"I'm not answering that," I state. "Delly help me put these decorations on top."

Delly looks relieved at the change of topic and eagerly jumps up to help me. She hands up the ornaments as I stand on a chair. Madge pouts at me, unhappy that I won't play along. I smile at her again.

I like having this kind of talk. I've missed having this kind of fun among friends. I now realise that I didn't really have many true friends before. They were just people I could party with. All anyone cared about was getting drunk and high. We didn't have this type of camaraderie. I haven't seen most of them for over a year and I find I don't really care.

The one person I do miss is Gale. He was one of the few people I actually hung out with while sober. We bonded over the loss of both our fathers and shooting in the woods. He was actually one of the only people I shared aspects of my life with.

But he was Thom's friend before he was mine. He came over a couple of times when Thom and I got back together again but that stopped the moment I chucked Thom out. Thom is his best friend and he chose him over me. It makes me sad that I have lost his friendship. He is the one person from that life I wish I could keep.

Delly suddenly jumps up and claps her hands together. Madge and I share a startled look.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I bought Chase and Sage's Christmas presents!" Delly shrieks before rushing out to the hall to get 2 small bags and handing one to both Rue and I.

Both bags have been expertly wrapped. The whole bag has been lined with tissue paper, pink for Sage and blue for Chase, that sticks out the top in a styled manner. Matching coloured bows have also been neatly tied and stuck onto the front of each bag.

"You didn't have to," Rue says as she takes the gift.

"It's nothing," Delly replies. "I was just out shopping when I saw these and thought how cute Sage and Chase would be in them!"

Rue and I share a cautious look before we peer in the bag to see what Delly has purchased for our children.

I see something materially and brown and gingerly pull it out the bag to reveal a small reindeer costume for a baby. I turn so see that Rue has pulled out a similar Santa costume for Chase. We both give each other startled looks.

"Aren't they so cute?" Delly exclaims. "Let's put them on now!"

I turn to look at Delly.

"They're great Delly," I say carefully. "But I don't know if I want to dress my daughter up as a woodland animal."

Delly face falls with disappointment at my words.

"Come on Katniss. What harm can it do?" Rue says with an amused grin from beside me.

I give Rue a pleading look. These costumes are ridiculous. Rue just smiles amusedly back at me. I turn to Madge for help but she just shakes her head slightly with a smile to let me know she's not going to help me get out of this.

"Fine," I concede reluctantly. "It'll make a cute photo I suppose."

I sling the costume over my shoulder and go down to pick up Sage. I try to take the tinsel off her but she is having none of it. I can't be bothered fighting with her about it so let her continue to wave it about as I take her through to get changed.

Rue and I carry Chase and Sage back through to the living room and to a very excited Delly. I have to admit Sage does look cute. I managed to wrestle the tinsel off her long enough to get her into the costume and she does look adorable. Chase looks equally cute in his little Santa suit and hat. Sage bumbles some happy sounds as I take her back through and place her on the couch next to Chase.

"EEEE!" Delly squeals. "They are so adorable! I need to get my camera!"

Delly fumbles about her purse to find her pink iPhone and then starts snapping various pictures of Sage and Chase. The children just look confused as Delly snaps away making various inaudiable noises. Rue and I get our own phones out and try to get a decent photo of them both.

"Sage look at Mommy," I coo.

Sage turns her attention away from a jabbering Delly to face me. I pull her favourite silly face and I am rewarded with a toothy smile. I quickly take the picture before she gets distracted again. I look down at my phone and I pleased with the result. Both Chase and Sage are looking at the camera with big smiles. This photo will definitely make the refrigerator.

Madge peers over my shoulder to look at the photo.

"That's good," she says with a smile. "You should send it to Peeta. He'll probably print it off and hang it in the bakery."

I turn my head to look at her.

"You're right. He'd want to see this," I say before quickly sending him the picture.

He's always gushes over any picture of Sage. He has quite a few stored on his own iPhone.

Once I look back up I see Delly and Madge sharing a knowing look.

"Peeta was pretty disappointed he wasn't invited to this thing," Madge says with a knowing smile. "I think he's jealous that we are stealing you away from him."

"He knew this is girls' night," I reply trying to play it cool. They continue to all share an amused look.

"He spent a lot of time looking for your gift. I've never seen him put so much effort in," Delly then adds.

My eyes flit to the large rectangular box in the corner. Peeta had come round a couple of days ago with gifts for both Sage and I. I can already tell by the sheer volume of gifts he got Sage he went overboard. He is under no obligation to give her anything. My own present sits in that box. I have no idea what it could be but already I feel bad for only giving him a personalised recipe book.

"He's not telling us anything, which in itself tells me something is going on. Normally you can't get him to shut up. So you are going to have to do. What's up with the two of you?" Madge asks.

I avert my gaze and pretend that I am really focused on putting up this wreath. I know this is what girls talk about but I really don't want too. If Peeta hasn't said anything that must mean he was really mortified about what I did. I'm too embarrassed as it is. I just want to forget about it. Talking about it isn't going to make it any easier.

"We're friends," I reply echoing what Peeta had said to Finnick over a month ago.

Rue, Madge and Delly all give me disbelieving looks.

"Fine," Madge says clearly not believing what I have just said. "I'm just saying, I've never seen him this happy before."

I look away again trying to fight the blush rising in my cheeks. Is she really insinuating that I am the one making him so happy? I try not to let my heart get too happy at the thought.

Just then my cell phone beeps. I take it out of my jeans pocket to look at it.

Peeta: Where's your reindeer costume? The two of you would be the most adorable reindeer in the world!

I smile to myself happily before sliding my phone back in my pocket and hoping the others didn't see.

Christmas Eve arrives and Mom and I sit in the living room with Sage on the rug singing Christmas songs. Mom had found some bells and Sage has loved ringing them along with the tune of Jingle Bells. Mom sits back looking at us both lovingly.

"You've got such a beautiful voice. It reminds me of your father. I used to love to hear him sing," Mom says pensively.

I turn to give her a sad smile as Sage drops the bells with a bang. I snap my attention back to her.

"Careful honey," I say. "They make a lot of noise."

Sage looks at me with a frown. I smile and shake my head at her before bending down to give her a kiss on the top of her head.

"How about we open a present, yeah?" I say.

Sage flaps her arms about and I take that as a yes. I look under the tree to see if I can see a gift for her.

"How about one of Peeta's hmm," I say stretching to reach one of Peeta's many presents.

Sage continues to flap her arms about as I gently rip a corner for her. She catches onto the end of it and is soon tearing away at it. I help her as Mom watches on amused. Eventually we get the gift free and a stuffed giraffe springs free. It's extremely fluffy and Sage spends a few minutes patting it and putting its ear in her mouth for her to chew before deciding that the wrapping paper is more interesting and abandoning the toy so she can continue to scrunch and wave the paper about.

I smile and stroke her dark curls before letting her carry on with what she is doing.

"The simple things in life," Mom says with a smile.

I smile back.

"It won't be long before wrapping paper doesn't entertain her anymore and she's demanding an ipad," I sigh leaning back against the couch.

I have no idea how I will be able to afford these things for when she is older. I won't be able to buy much on my bakery wage.

"How about you open one," Mon suggests. "You've been eying Peeta's present for days."

My eyes flit over to the box again. To say my curiosity isn't piqued is an understatement. I have been wondering what is inside of it for days now.

Slowly I crawl over to the tree and carefully pull the box down. I toy with the flap of the paper for a moment before deciding to just get it over with and rip the paper off in one go. Removing the paper doesn't reveal much, just a cardboard box, but there is a note taped on top.

So you can teach Sage just like your dad taught you.

Merry Christmas

Love Peeta

I frown a little at the note, my curiosity really heightened now. I pop open the top of the box and my breath is taken away at the sight of the gift.

He has bought me a classic acoustic guitar.

I had told him a couple of months ago how my dad used to teach me guitar when I was younger. I had loved playing and singing with him. Prim had no talent for it so it was something that was just for me and dad. I had sold his guitar soon after he died because I couldn't bear looking at it anymore. It had too many memories. I moaned to Peeta how much I regretted this now. It is part of him I will never get back. I want to share that with Sage the same way my dad shared it with me.

I can feel a tear threaten to fall from my eye. I can't believe he did this for me. It's not the same one as my dad's but the message behind it is the same. I don't have to forget about him completely.

"It's beautiful," Mom says.

I nod my head swallowing my tears. I can't say anything for the fear of welling up.

Sage makes a cry to let us know that she is still here and wants our attention again. I put the guitar down gently before turning to her and picking her up.

"Peeta spoils us," I say to her, tickling her tummy. Sage giggles and squirms in my arms.

Her laugh is enough for me to forget my sadness and I continue to tickle and hoist her up in the air. Sage childish giggles soon fill the room.

Later I sit with Sage on my lap reading her the Night before Christmas as she plays with my braid and chews the end of it in her mouth. There is a knock at the door and Mom gets up to answer it. Sage turns her head momentarily towards the noise before I turn her back to look at the book.

I hear Mom greet the person at the door and a few minutes later Peeta appears in the door of the living room. I stop reading and look at him surprised. He is dressed in a pale blue shirt with navy tie. Sage smiles when she sees him and reaches her arms out for him.

"Hey cutie," he says making his way over and picking up Sage.

She squeals in delight as he picks her up and gives her a big wet kiss on her cheek. I continue to look up at him confused why he is here. The Mellarks are hosting a big fancy party tonight. He's mom would kill him if he left early.

Peeta looks around and sees the mess of wrapping paper on the floor.

"Did you make all this mess?" he asks her. Sage smiles and pats his face. "I think your real gift was that paper!"

I smile at his words and finally stand up to greet him. I stroke Sage's head as I do so.

"Yeah. Your giraffe was soon forgotten about," I say with a grin. Sage continues to pat Peeta's face.

"You opened one of my presents? I hope it wasn't too boring," he says looking at her, bouncing her up and down on his hip.

Sage giggles as he does so. Peeta then turns his attention back to me.

"Did you open my gift for you?" he asks hopefully.

I nod my head.

"I love the guitar. Thank you," I reply simply.

Peeta smiles at me and then we are stuck just staring at each other while Peeta continues to bounce Sage up and down.

The atmosphere in the room seems to change. There is a heat to his gaze that causes my skin to flush. My heart begins to beat faster.

We are broken out of the trance by my mother clearing her throat. We both turn to look at her having forgotten she was in the room.

"How about I take Sage and leave you two to talk," Mom says taking Sage off Peeta and leaving the room. She gives me a knowing look as she leaves. Sage whimpers as my mom takes her out. I have to fight my maternal instinct to go to comfort my daughter but my curiosity over Peeta's appearance stops me.

Peeta suddenly seems to get uncomfortable and shifts about nervously on his feet before eventually settling himself down on the couch. I look down at him confused about what has got him so fidgety. He eyes beg for me to sit down and I gingerly take a seat next to him.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have that big family party tonight?" I ask.

Peeta nods his head looking down at his hands before answering.

"I was. I just realised that it wasn't where I was supposed to be," he states finally looking back at me.

I frown at him and shake my head confused. He takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I was there listening to all my aunts and uncles asking me about whether I had a special girl in my life and I just kept picturing you and Sage," he explains.

I take a sharp inhale of breath. Where is he going with this?

"…and then I heard Mom and Glimmer talking about you and I realised I hate hearing people bad mouthing you. It hurts me more than when they say bad things about me…" he continues.

My heart is hammering in chest. The words are tumbling out of his mouth now and I'm scared I won't keep up.

"…and I don't care that Thresh, or Castor or my brothers think I shouldn't get myself tangled up with you."

He stops now and looks me straight in the eye. He is deadly serious now.

"I thought I was doing you the right thing by stopping things at the bowling alley but I now realise I was just using that as an excuse. I told you that I wanted that great love and then unexpectedly you creep up on me and I was unprepared. I can already feel myself falling for you like that. My day doesn't start until I see you. I am constantly trying to come up with ways to make you smile or laugh. The worst part of my day is seeing you leave. And it scares me how much I already care about you."

My brain struggles to comprehend all that it has just heard. Is he really saying all the things I want to hear?

"It's still scary," Peeta says his voice soft as he takes my hand. "But I'm no longer afraid. I know I want to be with you."

I sit in stunned silence for a moment. I can't believe this is happening. I am desperately hoping I have not misunderstood him this time.

"Are you being serious, because I sort of come as a package deal," I say still not daring to believe what he says is true.

Peeta smiles at me sweetly and caresses my cheek.

"I know," he states with a smile. "And I love that part of you. Sage is adorable and I care for her just as much as I care for her mom. I promise that I will do everything in my power to make the two of you happy."

My heart does a flip at his words and I lean into his touch. This is what I wanted. Him. Here with me. Wanting me. With all the crap this past year it seems too good to be true.

"Katniss?" Peeta asks.

"Mmmm," I reply looking up into his brilliant blue eyes.

"Will go on a date with me?"

I smile at his cuteness. He is truly an amazing person.

"Yes," I breathe and Peeta faces breaks into the biggest grin I have ever seen.

"Good," he says moving his face closer to mine. "Now let me kiss you properly this time."

He then bends down to capture my lips in a searing kiss.

A/N: So Peeta has finally admitted what everyone else already knew! There is still some way to go in this story as Katniss try to navigate a relationship that involves a baby. Hope people continue to enjoy!