Author's note: Wow! It has been a loooooooooong time. Well over three years. I am so happy to be bringing you this new chapter and to, hopefully, bring more very soon. I can't wait to hear what you think about this new chapter after such a big break.
Part of the reason it took so long to get this to you is because I got caught up in a lot of other writing stuff. Another is that the beta I had for this stepped away from fanfiction. So I now have a new beta.
I want to thank buttercupbadass for stepping in to take over beta duties. It is so very much appreciated.
Happy reading!
Part Three
Katniss woke up sharply from a nightmare and immediately reached for her phone. The display read 5:06. Peeta would already be hard at work in the bakery at this time, delegating tasks to his two assistant bakers. Lily would be tucked in and sleeping on the couch in the break room where Peeta could hear if she woke.
Katniss dressed and poured some coffee in her travel mug before heading out the door to join them. It was a crisp morning, but not too cold so she decided to walk the two blocks to the bakery.
Delly parked her car in the small lot behind the building just as Katniss reached the back door.
Delly hurried out of her car and pulled Katniss into a hard embrace. Giggling in Katniss's ear, Delly said, "Oh, it's so good to see you!"
Katniss smiled and tried not to shove the other woman away. "Hi, Delly."
With another laugh, Delly motioned for Katniss to follow her inside as she babbled along. Katniss was a morning person, but only in the sense that she was awake and alert in the early morning. She wasn't much for talking any time, much less when the sun was still below the horizon. Katniss simply nodded along and moved in Delly's wake to the break room.
Katniss leaned over Lily on the couch and kissed her forehead. The little girl's eyes squinted open and a small smile played on her lips before she rolled away and curled into a ball. Katniss tucked the blanket around her daughter's shoulders and straightened. She hadn't noticed that Delly was finally quiet until she saw Peeta standing in the doorway.
"Hi." Peeta said with a kind smile on his face.
Delly cleared her throat. "I'll open up." She slid out of the room.
Katniss glanced down at Lily and then pointed past Peeta. She didn't want to disturb their daughter's sleep so soon.
Peeta seemed to agree and stepped back into the other room.
Katniss reached out and took Peeta's hand in her own. "I had a nightmare. And you said I could come today, so I thought…"
"I'm glad you're here." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Want me to put you to work or are you just here to watch me?" He gave her a wink.
She felt herself relaxing. "I don't mind working. I can fill orders until Annie gets here so Delly can work the register."
Peeta nodded. "I'm sure she'd appreciate that. I try, but it's hard when the bakers need help. Dad's recipes are hard to read sometimes. I really should type them up or something."
"Your sentimentality will be the end of you." Katniss teased. "I can help. Type it all up. If you want."
"I do want. Thank you." He smiled and slanted a quick kiss over her lips.
Katniss put her hand on his chest. "I'm not ready for that."
Peeta nodded, his smile still firmly in place. "I understand."
"I'll help Delly, you bake." She glanced over her shoulder. "How do you get her to school?"
Peeta explained, "When Annie comes in at seven, I get Lily dressed and then bring her."
Katniss nodded. "I have my first lesson around nine, so I'm all yours until then."
He gave her a sly grin. "Is that so?"
She laughed and shook her head as she walked into the lobby where Delly was already filling an order for a bleary-eyed young woman in a set of paint-splattered clothes.
After Delly took the payment, Katniss said, "I'm here to help until Annie gets here."
Delly let out a little squeal of excitement. "That's great! You know, we just love when Lily is around. She's so smart and sweet. Very helpful."
"Sometimes a little too much." Katniss joked.
The bakery got busy almost as soon as the doors opened, making it difficult for Delly to continue her babbling.
The time passed quickly and before Katniss realized it, she was receiving a side hug from Annie.
"Hi, there. Peeta said you'd come in to help this morning." Annie said kindly.
Katniss had always felt calm around Annie's placid demeanor. "Yeah, here I am."
"Peeta wanted to talk to you. He's with Lily in the apartment." Annie stepped away, her smile still on her face as she asked the next customer their order.
Katniss stepped into Peeta's apartment after he called for her to enter.
"Mommy!" Lily exclaimed. She tried to run, but Peeta still had her hair in his fist trying to fix it and she stopped short. "Daddy, can Mommy fix my hair this morning?"
Peeta gave Katniss a questioning look. "If she wants."
"I'm sure your dad does a good job." Katniss said as she closed the door and walked forward.
"No, I really don't." He said with a laugh. "I always end up just putting it in a messy ponytail or bun. And not ironically."
Katniss laughed and took the brush from Peeta as she perched on the couch beside him. She positioned Lily in front of her and ran the brush through her hair a few times before quickly twisting the girl's long brunette hair into a perfect braid.
"I still need to figure that out." Peeta said softly as he handed the band over for Katniss to slip around the end of the girl's hair. "You'd think I'd be able to with all I can do with dough and fondant."
"Dough isn't hair. It just takes practice." Katniss pulled Lily onto her lap and hugged her close. "Did you sleep well?"
Lily giggled. "I did. Did you?"
"Yes." Katniss kissed her daughter's cheek. "You need to get to school."
"Mommy, are you and Daddy both bringing me today?"
Peeta held Katniss's unsure gaze and shrugged. "I'd love for us both to go."
Katniss nodded. "Okay." She gave Lily another squeeze and then put her down.
"Come on, Mommy!" She threw herself out the door and clattered down the stairs.
Peeta and Katniss followed at a much slower pace. Lily chattered the whole way and Katniss turned to listen intently. She loved her daughter's stories.
The teacher was shocked to see both parents on a regular day, but recovered quickly. Was that disappointment on her face? No doubt Lily had told her that her Mommy and Daddy didn't live together and hadn't for a long time, though they'd showed up together to get her signed up and acquainted with the teacher.
Back in the car, Katniss held out her hand with a smile and Peeta slipped his into it. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Thanks for coming to help this morning."
"I forgot how much I liked it when I used to help in your dad's bakery just to spend time with you." She squeezed his hand and let go. "But you did promise I'd get to watch you decorate a cake."
"Lucky for you, I have a dozen orders to fill this week. You can come every day and see a new cake." He started the car and pointed it back toward the bakery.
"I walked this morning. Do you mind dropping me at the house right quick?"
"Not at all." He drove the extra two blocks to the house and waited until she started her car and backed down the driveway.
Peeta set out a plate of chocolate crackles on the end of the table before he took the cake out of the fridge.
Katniss walked into the building and spotted the cookies, a smile growing on her face. "You really made them?"
He smiled and nodded as he started mixing the frosting with different colors.
"When did you make these?" She picked up one of the cookies and broke it in half.
"While you were helping out front. Have to pay you somehow." He lifted a spatula from his bowl of frosting. "Does that look like periwinkle to you?"
She laughed and looked behind her. "Are you talking to me? The woman that can barely tell the difference between purple and pink?"
He laughed. "To be fair, that time, it was so close that even I had trouble telling the difference."
She leaned on her elbows and ate the rest of her cookie as he filled a piping bag and got to work. "So we're going out this weekend, right?"
Peeta paused and grinned. "If you're still up for it."
Katniss picked up another cookie and smiled at him. "I am. But Maybe a matinee?"
He nodded. "I like matinees."
"Good." She ate another cookie and then straightened up, patting her lower stomach. "Baby says thanks for the cookies." She walked around the table and pressed a kiss to his temple. "I have to get going."
Peeta caught her hand before she could get away. "Be careful. Have a good day."
"You too." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
He put his hand on her stomach. "When do you go to the doctor?"
"I have an appointment set for Monday. Eight-thirty. Want to come with me?"
"I'd love to."
She gave him one more kiss, swiping another cookie before she walked out the door.
Peeta spent most of his day trying to focus on work. All he could think about was Katniss's lips against his cheek, her smile when she saw the cookies he'd made for her, and the date they would be going on in a few days.
"Hey, Peeta?" Delly asked from the doorway.
He looked up from his latest wedding cake. "Yeah?"
She gestured toward the back door. "I'm heading out. Unless you need me to stay longer for any reason."
Peeta thought a moment and then shook his head. "Can't think of anything."
She nodded. "See you bright and early then." She hesitated.
"You need something?" Peeta asked.
Delly chewed her lip a moment and then said, "Is Katniss back?"
He smiled. "She might be. Not entirely sure yet."
"It's about damn time." She picked up her coat and left.
Peeta's heart swelled with pride. He'd decided not to say anything about the baby yet and was surprised Lily had kept the news to herself. Though it was possible she was still a little angry about it.
He still couldn't get over the fact they were having another baby. He'd wanted a large family, but Katniss didn't. Another of their arguments. There were so many small ones. Maybe they weren't meant for each other after all.
Peeta put the cake away and walked into the storefront to help Annie with the final customers. Annie closed and locked the door after the last person left, flipping the sign over.
"I need to talk to you about something." Annie said, a smile playing on her lips. "Two somethings, actually."
"Please don't tell me you're quitting." Peeta begged.
She shook her head. "Definitely not." She stepped a little closer. "A few months ago, I found out I was pregnant. Finnick and I decided to keep it to ourselves for a while because of what happened last time." She shrugged. "But the danger has passed. For now. We're slowly telling everyone. We don't want it all over, just in case…"
"Congrats." He bounced on his toes, wanting to tell her about Katniss but not wanting to take her thunder. "So what's the other thing?"
"Well, not nearly as exciting as a baby. I'm just married now." She pulled a chain from under her shirt. It held a silver band. "Didn't want it falling off into any of the pastry."
"Oh, Annie, I'm so happy for you." Peeta gave her a hug.
"Thank you." She stepped back. "Finnick and I were hoping to take an extended weekend for a babymoon. If you don't mind, of course. Friday through Monday?"
"This Friday?" He asked, slightly panicked.
"No, not this week. We're still trying to decide what we want to do. But we can't wait too long because I'm already in my fifth month."
Peeta nodded. "Well, let me know."
Annie gave him a calculated look. "Are you okay?" She pulled him to the table in the corner. "Now that I've told you my good news, tell me what's going on with Katniss."
He laughed. "She's pregnant."
Her eyes went wide. "Really? From that little fling you guys had?"
"I wouldn't call sleeping with my wife a fling. Even if it did reek of a one night stand." He said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt his cheeks heating. "But, yeah. That's when."
"That's awesome." She squeezed his hand. "So what does it mean?"
"It means I'm dating my wife again." He said with a chuckle. "We're fixing our family a little bit at a time."
Lily came in from the back room. "Daddy, I'm hungry."
"I'll get some supper started, baby." Peeta stood. "Can you tell Annie goodbye?"
Lily gave Annie a hug and then turned back to her father. "Food now?"
"Food now." Peeta and Lily followed Annie to the back door.