Chapter 4

"Were you planning on not having lunch with Katniss?" Mr. Mellark asked his son as they headed back into the merchant district.

"No, I was hungry and ready to eat, but when Katniss showed me pictures of the twins and explained everything from the incident with Gale until now, food was the furthest thing from my mind. I just want to work and take my mind off things for a few hours."

Mr. Mellark knew that work meant Peeta wanted to work in the back of the bakery for a while, however, that older gentlemen wondered if the relationship between his sons could ever recover from this sticky situation. The two men pulled up to their bakery and entered through the back. Upon hearing the back door open, Braeden and Wheatley looked up and saw their father and Peeta. The three brothers surveyed each other, and Mr. Mellark tensed up, the atmosphere was so charged, a body could cut it with a butter knife. Peeta's startling cerulean blue eyes flashed between Breaden's sapphire blue eyes and Wheatley's cobalt blue eyes. Peeta didn't say anything but went to wash his hands right away, put on an arpon and started pulling out ingredients in order to prepare the various types of dough for the next morning. Braeden and Wheatley were still clearly at a loss for words, Mr. Mellark could only shake his head, because it always seemed that a woman was at the bottom of drama between brothers the world over, that or money. Right before closing, an unexpected customer came through the store front.

"Clove! What brings you to the bakery?" Mr. Mellark asked, clearly knowing why Clove was there.

"I wanted to see Peeta, I haven't really had a chance to speak with him over the past few days." She replied, with a mild sulky look on her face. Does this woman always look so sour-faced? Mr. Mellark asked himself. "I'll go and get him." He said, heading back to the kitchen.

"Peeta, Clove is out front looking for you. Perhaps you should talk to her now instead of delaying the inevitable." That older gentlemen told his son. Peeta sigh and stored the ingredients he had started to mix, by covering it with a cheese cloth. Mr. Mellark looked gravely at his son, because Peeta looked as if he were going to his execution. Braeden and Wheatley's eyes followed Peeta as he headed to the front of the store.

"That isn't going to end well." Wheatley said with a deep sigh.

"Did you really think he would end up with her?" Braeden asked his father and brother.

"Not at all, but this whole situation isn't fair to her and unfortunately, she's just going to end up being collateral damage… again, you two and your dislike of Katniss, the gift that keeps on giving." Franklin replied to his son's question. The two young men looked away and resumed their work.

"Clove…" Peeta started. As he walked out into the store front.

"I know you've had an important personal matter to handle over the last few days, but I've missed you and we really should have more conversations about our future at this critical stage in our relationship." Clove said matter-of-factly. While Clove was speaking, Peeta started rubbing the back of his head in nervousness, and stopped himself before saying, "I haven't even proposed to you."

"You're not wrong, we definitely need to have a conversation. Can we go to the car?" The couple walked out to Peeta's car; however, they didn't notice Mr. Mellark quietly make his way to the front of the store to peek out the window. At first, everything looked calm between the two and then as Peeta talked, Clove began to look more agitated, then the wild gesticulating from Clove and suddenly the young woman looked like thunder and crossed her arms. She seemed to either make a statement or asked a question to which Peeta replied and Clove got out of the car and stormed off. Peeta sat in his car a bit longer and then got out and re-entered the bakery.

"How did she take it?" Mr. Mellark asked. Peeta started in surprise and then let out a deep sigh.

"You know the last thing she asked me before storming off?"

"What?"

"Is she prettier than me?" Peeta replied, with a look of disbelief.

"Of course! Katniss is beautiful. Forgive me for being partial." Mr. Mellark replied with a grin. "Besides, she's the mother of my grandchildren." Peeta was speechless at this comment.

"What time are we heading over to the Everdeen's tomorrow?"

"I told Katniss we would head over around lunch time. Dad, I'm so nervous, what if they don't like me?" Peeta was truly worried about the twins taking him in dislike.

"The twins are young children, which means they're going to be more open minded and curious. You have to give them a chance, and stop borrowing trouble." Mr. Mellark replied. Both men looked up to find Braeden and Wheatley had entered the front of the bakery, looking back and forth at their father and brother. Wheatley started by clearing his throat, Franklin looked expectant, Peeta looked like thunder clouds.

"So, we were wondering, when will we be able to meet the twins?" He asked, giving a nervous look at his brother. Peeta looked ready to explode, but Mr. Mellark responded first.

"I think its best if Peeta builds a relationship with them first." This was said with a hefty hint of steel. Braeden and Wheatley knew their father meant business and so both seemed to shuffle off quickly out the back door. Once Peeta heard the back door shut, his father started to speak.

"You will have to decide when they can meet them, Katniss will be here until further notice and people will talk once it becomes obvious your mother and brothers haven't met Rickon and Rhiannon." He said gently.

"I know, I just… besides being angry with them, they confuse me. First, they don't want me anywhere near Katniss, and now that they know I've fathered her kids they want all in? I just don't get it." Peeta replied.

"Your brothers are all about family and you know your mother always wanted a girl. I understand why you're angry, I'm not pleased with them myself, but their feelings are natural. Plus, I think your mother has now found a new reason to be jealous of Lucille… which is why I've forbidden her from contact. After the way she's acted, I definitely don't trust her anywhere near the Everdeens now." Franklin said to his son. Peeta looked surprised at this comment. It never occurred to him that his mother wanted a daughter. The less said about her feelings regarding the Everdeens, the better.

"Mom seems to be bitter about a lot of things." Peeta said.

"Try not to be too hard on her, your mother always been very insecure and very competitive, however, when she isn't concentrating on her insecurities, she's great. Unfortunately, she's almost always competitive." This was said with a deep sigh. "I remember telling her I would call off our wedding and opt for a simple civil ceremony if she didn't stop trying to outdo Josie Cartwright's wedding plans. She thought I was joking, but when I went to take my tuxedo back to the rental store, she calmed down." Mr. Mellark said shaking his head.

"Dad, how did you and Mom meet?" Peeta asked. Franklin Mellark looked startled.

"I never told you this story?" Peeta shook his head.

"It had been a little over three months after Lucille and I ended things. I was still hurt, but I was determined not to feel sorry for myself. Haymitch, of all people, asked me to go over to County 13 for a social they were throwing over there. This a few months before the smallpox outbreak in that county. Haymitch back then was a different man, his zest for life was infectious and I knew I made the right decision to go with him. When we entered the dance hall, everyone looked nervous, but Haymitch, being the life of the party soon had things going, people were dancing and laughing, and there was your mother. Pretty in a soft pink dress, her dark hair framed her face is curls, and she was smiling. She looked shy and nervous, but she was talking to a few friends, so I walked over and asked her to dance. She was such a different person, she used to light up from the inside, and our conversations were so good. After that dance, we saw each other a few times, and then your mother and Maysilee Donner, Haymitch's late wife moved to Twelfth City, we started dating several weeks later. Soon after that, the smallpox epidemic there broke out. I think that was when the light in your mother's eyes started to dim, because her family still lived in Coin County. We dated and enjoyed ourselves for close to a year and then I asked her to marry me. Things we going very well during our engagement. When it was safe to go back to Coin County to visit your grandparents, your mother worried about their health, because while your grandmother didn't get smallpox, your grandfather did. Still, Helen rallied and then about four months before the wedding, someone had told your mother that me and Lucille Everdeen were a serious item just a little over a year ago. I think your mother would've been ok, if she hadn't ended up meeting Lucille… you see, when Lucille was young, she was breathtakingly beautiful." Mr. Mellark explained. Peeta closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew his father told the truth, because Mrs. Everdeen was still a very beautiful older woman.

"I know people compare Primrose to her, and while Prim is a young beauty, she looks like a faded version of her mother's beauty. After your mother saw and met Lucille, things were different. I still wanted to marry Helen, because I fell in love with her, but something had shifted. The young woman I met still comes through from time to time, but she never got over seeing Lucille. Don't mistake me, I did explain there was someone before her when she asked during the time we were getting to know each other, but something told me to make sure I didn't tell her it was Lucille, you see, the young women in Twelfth City were jealous of Lucille's beauty and I wasn't the only young man to be very careful when around her, in case a jealous girlfriend may react badly. Ever since then, everything became some sort of competition and this pettiness and even maliciousness, surfaced that wasn't there before. I think this is the first time your mother realized that I truly meant what I said last night. I'm just sorry it's taken this whole shitty situation to get her to snap out of it. At some point, you're going to have to have a discussion with your mother regarding this whole situation." Mr. Mellark said to his youngest son. Peeta nodded his head.

The two men had finally finished closing up the bakery, when the phone rang. Mr. Mellark answered.

"Hello Frank, I was just calling to let Peeta know that Clove left a little while ago." Mrs. Mellark said in soft voice. Mr. Mellark glanced over at his son and replied, "I'll make sure he gets the message."

"Your mother just letting you know that Clove left. What did you say to her?"

"Can we not talk about it right now?" Peeta responded with a question. Mr. Mellark looked thoughtful and let the matter drop. Peeta replayed the brief conversation over in his head.

"I know you've been busy since the night we came back from Coin County; I didn't think anything of it, but I overheard your brothers talking about an old high school girlfriend of yours that's back in town… is that who you went to see last night?" She asked. She looked…nervous? Jealous?

"Yeah, she needed to see me about an important matter," Peeta started, but Clove interrupted.

"What could an ex-girlfriend from high school possibly have to see you about that's so important? Have you been communicating with her while we we've dating?" There was an edge to her voice now.

"No, last night was the first time I'd seen her since the summer after we graduated," Peeta started again to explain, but once again, Clove interrupted.

"What did she have to tell you that couldn't wait?" Clove demanded.

"I have kids with her. She told me about our five-year-old twins, that I had no idea about." Peeta blurted out in temper. The silence was suffocating. After several minutes, Clove found her voice.

"You have twins with her?" Her voice was small and thin.

"Yes, and she hid this from me, all this time." Peeta replied, with the ever-present look of incredulity on his face.

"So, are you going to have a family with her or something?" She asked, pettishly. Peeta realized he was close to his breaking point, and so he chose his next words carefully.

"Considering I just saw Katniss for the first time in in six years, I would think rushing to have a family with her would be huge ask. I haven't even met my children yet. I think co-parenting and getting to know my children are the main concern for now." Peeta explained. Clove was fuming, these twins were throwing a wrench in her plans.

"Is she pretty?" Clove asked, her arms crossed in frustration. She was not happy.

"Who? My daughter? Yes, she is, pretty as a picture." Peeta said, because the twins were constantly on his mind, and he hadn't even met them yet. Clove looked taken aback.

"NO! This Katniss girl. Is she prettier than me?" Clove asked again, with a slightly forceful voice.

"She's beautiful." Peeta answered without missing a beat. Clove looked ready to explode.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Clove asked, gesticulating with her hands and arms.

"Do you want me to lie to you? Let's say I told you what you wanted to hear and then you saw Katniss, what would you have to say then?" Peeta asked calmly. Clove was so angry, because not only did Peeta not lie, but she also knew he was right.

"Maybe we should just cut this trip short and head back to Boston."

"Clove, I can't go back to Boston, not now and I think you know that. If you want to go back while I sort things out here, I completely understand." Peeta replied with maddening patience.

"You're going to stay here while your beautiful ex-girlfriend is still in town, with kids you didn't know you had? Peeta, I can't complete with that!" Clove practically yelled.

"I never asked you to. You have to understand, I'm completely blindsided here, I can't leave, I have to get to know my kids. I know you didn't sign up for this and I'll understand if you want out, but my twins have completely changed things." Peeta explained.

"Are you dumping me?" Clove asked incredulously.

"If that's how you see it, yes. This is important to me; I have to get to know my children and be involved with their lives. I already missed the first five years and I refuse to miss another day." Peeta replied simply and refusing to acknowledge that Clove took the hint that he was done with her. Clove got out of the car and stomped down the road, Peeta saw her pull out her phone and figured she was ordering an Uber.

For the second time in two nights, Peeta found he had driven home on autopilot, but this time when he entered the house, no one said anything and he headed straight to bed, emotionally exhausted from the day's events.