Author's note: A lot of stuff getting more intense! Thank you so much for all the love you are giving this! I am impressed by the numbers increasing by the day. And all the kind words so many of you have left here and on Tumblr make the day better. I love you all. If you follow me on Tumblr (booksrockmyface), you already got a couple little tastes of this. I hope it goes in the direction you were expecting.

Happy reading!

Chapter Fifteen

Katniss opened the door to find Peeta on the other side. He leaned in and asked, "Can I—"

"No." She cut him off. She whispered, "Not in front of the kids or anyone. This is our secret." She smiled and stepped in. "Caleb, go pee, we have a long ride ahead of us."

"Already done!" He came running out of the bathroom and shook his dripping hands at Peeta with his high, giddy laugh. "I'm glad to see you." Caleb threw his arms around the man's waist.

Peeta returned the hug pounding a rhythm on his back. "I'm glad to see you, too." He kneeled down and tapped his nose. "Ready for a small road trip?"

"Yes! Mama said we were going to get Callie from her grandma and grandpa."

"That's right. And I thought it would be fun to show you were I went to school."

Caleb looked at him sideways. "Didn't you go where my mom went?"

Peeta shook his head. "I went to private school. I'm one of those yuppies."

Katniss chuckled and smoothed her hand over her son's hair.

"Ready to go?" Peeta asked.

"So ready!" Caleb exclaimed. He picked up his backpack by the door and ran to Peeta's car.

"Always prepared for boredom." Katniss said. She picked up her purse and showed him a book was stuffed inside. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head. "Why would I mind?"

"I just didn't want you thinking we're antisocial. I don't read much, but I always keep a book in my purse. And for him, it's best to have a lot of activities on hand."

Peeta smiled and held out his hand. "Ready to head out?"

She slipped hers in his and squeezed. She pulled it out quickly and turned around to locked the door.

"Sorry." He said softly.

"No, I am." She slipped her hand in his once more as they walked to the car. "Your hand is nice and soft."

He unlocked the car doors and helped Caleb inside while Katniss got in the front seat.

Peeta ran around to the other side and started the engine. He looked between his two passengers. "Who's ready?"

"Me!" Caleb exclaimed.

"I'm game." Katniss said with a smile.

He drove for a while with virtual silence in the car. Caleb messed with the window button for a while until Peeta locked it.

Caleb asked after the silence went on for a while, "Peeta, when are you going to paint my room?"

Peeta looked in the rearview mirror. "Your mom and I need to discuss some particulars. Soon."

Katniss said, "Give me a list of supplies and their cost so I can buy them for you."

"We can buy them today if you want. There's a great paint store here that I use for all projects big and small. I could use new brushes anyway. And since you're buying..." He gave her a dazzling smile.

She laughed. "Okay, let's go."

Caleb asked from the back, "Mama, is Peeta your boyfriend?"

Katniss laughed uncomfortably. "No, we're friends."

"So why is he holding your hand?"

She looked over and pulled her hand from Peeta's. When had that happened? "Sometimes people just hold hands. You hold Peeta's hand."

Caleb thought a moment and then shrugged. "Kids are different from grown-ups, Mama."

Peeta chuckled uncomfortably and repositioned himself in his seat. He reached over and turned on the radio.

"I love this song!" Caleb exclaimed and started singing along.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Katniss asked softly.

Peeta shook his head. "It's not entirely you."

He gave no other explanation and Katniss moved on. "Tell me a bit about Callie's grandparents."

Peeta smiled. "Andi, Alex's mom, was like a mom to me. She accepted the pregnancy from the start because she had already accepted me. She liked me and spoiled me like I was one of her own. And Al is the same. He and my dad got along great and he always encourages me." He smiled. "They're both kind of stand-in parents for me now."

She smiled sadly.

He whispered, "I've never been more rested, by the way."

"It can't happen again." She said quickly. She looked embarrassed. "It shouldn't happen again." She amended. "But we can work it out, I'm sure."

"I'm sure we can." He grinned.

Caleb asked a lot of questions along the way about things he saw. He excitedly pointed out every building he thought was cool and every bit of livestock. He was very impressed by the gated community they drove up to. So was Katniss.

"Holy crap!" She gasped. Then she bit her lip and covered her mouth. "Sorry."

Peeta chuckled, "Yeah, they're loaded. And they help with all of Cal's needs and wants. So if you want to decide to raise your prices for her coaching, I'll completely understand."

Katniss laughed. "I should have known. You mentioned your school here, but I don't know what I was thinking."

He paused to talk into the speaker and wait for the gate to unlock. He started in. "My mom...forced a lot of sacrifice to my father and his business so we could go to private school. She thought it was necessary. But Alex's parents sacrificed nothing. And I think when I knocked up my girlfriend and dropped out of school, it made my mother think the sacrifice was for nothing. I think that's why she's still so mad at me." He turned into a drive.

Callie waved happily from the massive porch.

"That house is huge." Caleb marveled. His face was pressed to the window.

"Be polite, Caleb." Katniss warned as they all got out.

"Katniss!" Callie exclaimed and launched herself down the steps. She threw her arms around the woman.

"Hey, Calliope. How was your week?" Katniss asked.

The girl beamed. "Great! My grandma and I had a for real tea party. She invited all her friends. It was so cool."

Peeta glared playfully at his daughter. "Do I mean nothing to you since I brought Katniss?"

Callie laughed and hugged her father tightly. "I missed you, Daddy."

He laughed and squeezed her hard and kissed the top of her head. "I missed you, too, sweetie."

An older woman stepped out and leaned over the railing. "Not even going to come in and say hello?"

"Hi, Andi." Peeta stepped around his daughter and ascended the stairs. He kissed the woman on the cheek and hugged her close. "I hope she wasn't a handful this week."

"An angel like always. She's a lot like Lexie." She looked around him. "And this must be the famous Katniss we've been hearing so much about. And Caleb, too."

Katniss held out her hand. "Hi, yes, I'm Katniss and this is my son Caleb."

"I'm Andrea, but everyone calls me Andi."

Caleb looked up at her. "You're Callie's grandma?"

"I am." Andi leaned down. "Callie and I just finished making some cookies. I know they won't be as delicious as Peeta's, but they are still tasty. Would you like one?"

"I love cookies!" Caleb announced and ran for the door.

"Caleb, manners." Katniss warned as they all followed inside.

"Yes, Mama. But cookies!"

Peeta grabbed Katniss's hand and squeezed before he let go and hurried forward to lift Caleb up. "Cookies are always the right answer."

The boy laughed happily and wrapped his arms around Peeta's neck. "I bet these cookies really are better than yours."

"You think so?" Peeta started tickling him.

Caleb laughed and wiggled free of Peeta's grasp. He stumbled and fell to the floor.

Peeta helped him up. "You okay?"

"Yep, I'm okay!" He followed Andi into the kitchen and stood in front of the plate of cookies. "What kind are they?" He asked softly.

Andi picked up the plate and offered it to him. "White chocolate macadamia nut."

"I love that kind!" Caleb took two and sat at the table. "Thank you, Miss Andi."

"Just Andi, Caleb." She ruffled his hair and sat a cup of milk in front of him. "Eat up, everyone."

Katniss took a cookie and sat beside her son. "Your house is lovely, Andi."

"Thank you, Katniss." She sat across from them as the other two took seats. "My husband is somewhere around here, so you should be able to meet him before you leave."

"I look forward to it."

"Peeta is going to paint a…" He looked to the man sitting on his other side, "mural?"

"Yes, that's right." Peeta said.

Caleb smiled even wider. "A mural in my bedroom."

"Is that so?" Andi asked. She leaned forward. "Tell me what it's going to look like."

"It's going to have a pirate ship and a navy ship and they're all going to be dogs."

"Dogs?"

Peeta ruffled the boy's hair. "Two of Caleb's favorite things in one." He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture. He showed Andi. "I painted those for his birthday. They'll go on the other walls."

"Amazing." Andi grinned. "Lexie really loved your artwork. She told me once it was why she fell in love with you."

Peeta smiled and looked at his daughter. He smoothed his hand over her hair. "I loved to paint her picture."

Callie smiled. "I told them about the one you just did. For me."

"Hey, is there a party in my kitchen? Why wasn't I invited?" Al said from the door.

Peeta stood and hugged the man. "Looking good, Al."

"You too." He chuckled.

Caleb hurried over and looked up in wonder. "You're Callie's grandpa?"

"I am. Are you Caleb?"

He nodded. "How did you know?"

Al dropped to his knee and smiled. "Callie has been talking about you and your mom all week."

Caleb looked over his shoulder. He turned back around and whispered, "Peeta really likes my mom."

"You think so?" Al whispered back.

Caleb nodded. "But my mom doesn't date because my dad wasn't nice to her."

Al nodded. "Your mom doesn't have to date if she doesn't want to. And I can already see that she is doing a great job raising you." He leaned in and said softly, "And I think your mom likes Peeta."

Caleb beamed and looked at his mother again. He nodded. "I think so, too." He ran over and sat in his mother's lap.

Katniss kissed Caleb's temple and whispered, "I love you, baby."

"I love you, Mama."

Callie asked, "Dad, are we going to Sae's Diner?"

Peeta nodded. "Of course. Are you all packed?"

"Not yet. Katniss and Caleb, you should come see my room." She took their hands and pulled them out of the room, both of them laughing as they went.

Peeta stood awkwardly and looked between Al and Andi.

Andi said, "Callie really likes her. Adores her, even."

Al nodded. "She just talked about Katniss nonstop."

Peeta shook his head. "I can't do this with you two."

"Why not?" Andi said. "We know you loved Lexie. But you were just kids. And she's been gone…" She trailed off as her voice broke.

"I know she has." Peeta said. "And I know I need to move on. But I can't with Katniss. Caleb's dad was abusive and she just needs a friend."

"When did she get out of that relationship?" Al asked.

"It's irrelevant." Peeta waved his hand. "I can't. I just can't. And I won't."

"But you like her." Al said.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter."

There was another awkward silence. Callie came in with the others trailing behind her. Caleb lugged her bag along behind him.

"I'm going to stay here forever." Caleb said.

Andi chuckled. "Maybe you can come stay some night. We have plenty of room."

"Mama, can I?" He asked Katniss.

"We'll see." She smoothed her hand over his hair.

"Ready to go?" Peeta asked.

"Ready." The kids said at the same time.

Al grinned. "You two look like you could be siblings."

"Alexander." Andi warned. "Stop."

They left after several long hugs.

Peeta stopped at a diner that defined "hole-in-the-wall." It was stuffed in a tiny building in between a pawn shop and a donut shop. There were only a few tables inside and the griddle was just over the counter.

"What are you getting, Dad?" Callie asked sarcastically.

"Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes." Peeta chuckled. "I can't help it that Sae's chicken fried steak is the best." He winked at the woman across the counter.

"I want that, too!" Caleb said.

The old woman leaned over the counter. "And what can I make for the ladies?"

Callie said, "I'd like scrambled eggs, hash browns, and crispy bacon."

Katniss looked over the menu. "It all sounds so good."

Callie said, "The fried chicken is good. Oh! The catfish! She has her own catfish farm at her house. It's delicious."

"You know what? That sounds delicious. Catfish platter for me." Katniss said. She looked around as Sae walked away. "How did you find this place?"

Peeta chuckled. "Alex and I were just driving around one day and we stumbled on this place. It looks rundown from the outside, as you saw, but it's great inside. The food is amazing. And this became our place. It's where we talked out a lot of stuff. Where she told me she was pregnant and where we planned out our life together. And we ate here the week before Cal was born." He looked around. "I love this old place."

"It's nice." Katniss kicked his feet under the table.

He smiled and kicked back. "So, what do you guys think of Andi and Al?"

Caleb said, "I really like them. Can we go back? Andi said I can stay the night."

"Baby, we just met them." Katniss said.

"But Andi said I could." He argued.

"We'll have to see."

"Okay, good." He turned to Peeta. "So will you start my room soon?"

"We'll go to the paint store after we eat and get all the stuff and I'll set up to start painting next week. I need to work out some things with Delly and Madge. And I have some cakes to decorate that I need to figure out how long they will take and when I need to be able to work on them, too." He looked at Katniss. "And I need your coaching schedule."

"I start every day at one." She smiled. "So you can come in the mornings if that works for you."

"I'll figure it out." He promised. He kicked her foot under the table again.