Okay, you guys asked for it, so I gave it to you. I can't let you all down! :D Here's the epilogue. I hope it satisfies! Thank you all so much for reading. You have no idea just how much it means to me. And feel free to check out my other stories!
"I can't believe this."
Peeta turns around, still fastening his bowtie, and raises his eyebrows at me.
I sigh, trying to calm my anxiety. "I'm sorry," I continue, smoothing out my light colored dress. "It's just so fast, you know?"
He nods his head understandingly and drops his hands to his sides. He walks towards me and grasps my face his soft, warm hands; and I'm a thousand times calmer than I could ever try to be on my own.
"Every day I love you more and more, you know that right?"
My heart pounding in my ears, I stand on my tiptoes and press my chapped lips to his plump, pink ones. I do know it. But I'll never tire of hearing this. For the rest of my life.
"I love you so much," I whisper against his lips before I slip my tongue into his mouth, moaning as he devours me.
"Hey, guys!"
Finnick's voice cuts off our kiss and I turn to glare at him. But then I remember what day it is and smile instead. And recall how little we've been interrupted by Finn since we moved out over three years ago.
"For one day in our lives, it's not about you two and your drama." He rolls his eyes at us, but he's smiling so broadly that I can tell that he's joking. Nothing is going to bring him down. Not today.
"No," I agree with him. "It's about you and your drama."
He nods his head. "Damn straight." Then he gets a nervous expression on his face and steps fully into the room, closing the door behind him. He runs his hands down the lapel of his suit jacket, nibbling his bottom lip. "Do I look okay?"
Oh, Finn. Smiling at his nerves, I take a step towards him. "You look so unbelievably handsome, Finn. I don't think you've ever looked so good."
He grins humbly. "I'll see you both out there?" We nod in response. Then he quickly darts out the door he entered.
"She's barely twenty-three!" I hiss, resuming the conversation we were having before Finnick interrupted.
"You were twenty-two when you met me," Peeta counters.
I huff out a breath, causing my bangs to flap to side of my face. "But we didn't marry when I was twenty-two. We still aren't married!"
"Yet," he counters again. I look down to the ring on my left hand feel my sour mood slip instantly; then I look up to meet Peeta's blazing blue eyes.
"Yet." He pulls me back to him, one arm circling around my waste as his other lifts my hand and he kisses the medium, square diamond that he gave me three months ago; my heart flutters at the memory of when he gave it to me. He proposed in such a Peeta way: dinner at The Hob (the place where we had our first official date) and then we came home to an apartment full of lit candles and dandelions covering the floor. He got down on one knee and told me our love was real and he never wanted to spend a moment apart from me. Needless to say, I said yes and I rode him on the hardwood floors, on top of the dandelions, until we both passed out from exhaustion.
"Prim knows what she's doing, Katniss. They love each other."
I hang my head. He's right. He's always right. He presses his lips against my neck and I lean into his him and his touch.
"I'm just nervous for her," I explain as I wrap my arms around Peeta's shoulders and push our bodies together.
"I know. She's your baby sister. But Finnick will take good care of her."
He kisses me one more time on the lips before he steps away from me entirely. He jerks his head toward the door. "Now go make sure Prim's not freaking out, Maid of Honor. I'll meet you up there." He smirks; but I can tell how thrilled he is about this.
But he's even happier that we're going to be next. He's been ready to marry me for years.
"See you soon, Best Man," I call over my shoulder as I leave the room.
Prim is annoyingly calm when I enter the room where she's getting ready. Like always, she's beautiful—flawlessly and effortlessly. Her lips are a shade darker than they usually are; her sleek, blonde hair is pulled back from her face into a braided bun; her long veil is delicately placed on her head.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, shutting the door behind me so no one sees her—especially Finn. I passed him on my way here; he was pacing anxiously up and down the hallway. But he's not nervous; he's excited. Finnick has been sure of this for a long time. He told me that he bought the ring almost a year before he actually proposed. He hasn't doubted their relationship since they broke up all those years ago when Annie returned.
"I'm so happy," she whispers, her eyes crinkling as she smiles at me. Her face lights up whenever she's talking about, thinking of, or with Finnick. It's annoyingly adorable. But I can't exactly complain; I know I'm exactly the same way with Peeta.
I smile back, my uneasiness gone. I'm not used to everything working out—or at least I wasn't until I met Peeta. But now I have a feeling it will be okay. Peeta's been my dandelion in the spring, the first spark of hope in a dreary time, the promise that things can get better. And they have. Prim is going to have a good future with Finn. By the expression on her face right now, I guarantee it.
"You know," she continues, her smile turning into a smirk. "We're going to be sisters-in-law as well as sisters."
I roll my eyes. "Ugh. Don't remind me that I'm going to be related to Finnick."
"Hey!" she shouts, mock-chastising me. She's knows I don't mean it. Finnick has been my brother for years. Now it's just going to be official.
I pull her into my arms without another word, squeezing her hard. I'm losing her a little bit today; handing her over to another who now will have the duty to take care of her. I blink away the tears suddenly threatening to fall and internally reprimand myself. She'll still be my sister. She'll always be around and I will take care of her whenever she needs it. And probably even when she doesn't.
But I release her quickly. I don't want to ruin her make-up or her dress or whatever. Her lips tremble as she softly smiles at me and I know she's thinking the same thing I just was.
"Do I look okay?" she asks, motioning down to her white, ballgown dress.
I bark out a laugh; she immediately frowns. Shaking my head, I say, "No, I'm not laughing at you, Prim. You look stunning. It's just that Finn asked me the exact same question, in the exact same way, not five minutes ago."
She giggles, reminding me of the little girl I reared, but then she grows nervous. "How is he doing?"
I roll my eyes again. "He's giddy, Little Duck. No nerves whatsoever."
She nods her head, her face showing how much that eases her own worries. "Good."
The door opens abruptly, cutting off our conversation. Gale pokes his head in, his dark eyebrows pulled together, his smile hesitant. "Are you ready?" he asks.
Prim nods, grinning. Gale steps into the room and walks towards her; I watch as he leans down and presses a small kiss to her cheek. "You look gorgeous, Primmy."
She smiles bashfully at him and slips her arm into his as he holds it out for her. Then she looks over to me again. "You go first, remember?"
I nod my head, grab my bouquet off the table by the door and step out of the room with a final kiss goodbye on her forehead. I stand at the doors for barely thirty seconds before the music starts and they open wide for me. Everyone in the small church turns towards me. Nervously, I focus on putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to fall or make eye contact with anyone in the crowd.
Then I glance up at the groom. Finnick stands tall and strong in front of the preacher, his suit impeccably straight and fitted to him perfectly. The pale green of his tie matches my dress and his eyes. He's smiling at me as I walk closer to him. But then my eyes shift to the man next to him, and all coherent thought is disintegrated.
He's the most beautiful man in the world, looking at me like I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. His sky blue eyes glitter with unshed tears, his cheeks flushed, his smile crooked and heart-attack inducing. God, I love him. I love him with everything that I am. And I can barely comprehend that it's real. But it is. It's so real.
My future husband.
I'm suddenly at the altar and I press a kiss to Finnick's cheek before I stand opposite of him, down one step.
The music changes, into the wedding march, and all the attendees stand up, their eyes fixed on the doors. Prim emerges seconds later, with Gale on her arm, giving her away. My heart contracts at the sight and happy tears begin to run down my cheeks. Gale has always treated her like a sister or a daughter, just like I have, just like Peeta has, and I was so immensely happy when she asked him to walk her down the aisle. And so was he. He sat in his kitchen chair, dumbfounded, for about ten seconds before he erupted in tears and pulled her into his lap, hugging her as he sobbed into her neck and whispered yes over and over.
Prim's eyes never leave Finnick's and I glance away from her beautiful face for only a moment to Finn. His emerald eyes are full of tears and as he blinks, one slips out of the corner; he looks the happiest I've ever seen him.
Gale kisses Prim once on the cheek, grinning, before he hands Prim over the to the more than willing Finnick. She's barely able to hand me her bouquet before Finn takes both of her hands in his and weaves their fingers together. Gale takes his spot next to Peeta as second Best Man.
The preacher begins speaking about love and honestly and faith, but I get lost in the words. All I see is Prim and Finn, grinning at each other like little kids, undoubtedly in love. It's not until the vows that I'm snapped back into reality.
"Primrose," Finnick exhales, as if her name is a prayer to him. "I'd given up on love before I met you. I thought it was easier to be casual and protect my heart after it had already been broken once. But all that changed when you walked into my life." He removes his hand from hers briefly and brings it to her cheek; his thumb runs along her flushed skin once before it resumes its previous position. "I thank every deity in the world daily for bringing you to me. You're innocence, beauty, calm presence and clever humor take me over. You forget that I'm a smart-ass and treat me like I'm someone who deserves love. And I don't know if I deserve your love, but I will do everything in my power to make sure it never fades; just like my love for you never will."
I can't help the girly girl deep inside from coming out; I'm sobbing officially. My chest heaves, silently—thank God—but it heaves nonetheless.
"Finnick," Prim starts, just like Finn did. "I never felt second best with you. I was abandoned in my life by someone who was supposed to love me conditionally, and I felt broken because of it. But then you came along. You had no obligation to care for me. You did it because you chose to. You chose me over all others and loved me like I never thought I could be loved. I don't feel broken when I'm with you; I'm repaired—complete. I know it's cliché, but you were my missing puzzle piece. And Finny, I will love you every day for the rest of my life."
The preacher nods his head and says, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Finnick shouts a "Thank, God!" and clasps Prim's small head in his large hands before he leans down and presses a sound kiss to her lips. The audience stands up and cheers, catcalls and whistles at them. I wipe the tears away with the heel of my hand and clap as best as I can while holding the flowers.
The two of them break the kiss and turn to wave at the guests before they run down the aisle together. Gale leaves next, a few feet behind. Then Peeta and I do; he wraps his arm around my waist and presses our sides together as we follow the newlyweds.
I forgot how bad of a dancer Finn is. I mean, he's a good dancer when it's all sexy and sensual and grinding, but anything else—no. He's a car crash. I watch as he "moonwalks" across the dance floor, pulling a laughing Prim with him; I use the term "moonwalk" lightly, though. He basically just scoots backwards, his tie loose, his hair warped by sweat.
Grinning and shaking my head, I take another sip of my champagne as I sit comfortably at the head table, not dancing. Never dancing.
Peeta plops down on the chair next to me and plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek; he's a tad tipsy. Not drunk, just buzzed. His bowtie has disappeared and his cheeks are pleasantly flushed.
"I want to fuck you right here on this table," he moans into my ear before latching his lips onto my neck. Okay, maybe he is drunk.
"In your dreams, Booze-y," I chuckle, pushing at his shoulder so his lips detach.
But he clasps my face in his hands and presses our foreheads together. Going cross-eyed, I look into his puppy-dog sapphire eyes. Oh, shit.
"Remember Gale's office party," he growls, his voice husky.
My body clenches, pleasure rippling through me. Absolutely, I remember. I was feeling particularly frisky that night. So much so that I dragged Peeta into an empty office and had my way with him; first with my mouth before I straddled him in one of the abandoned leather chairs and slowly brought us both to an explosive orgasm. I don't know what it is about this man that makes me an exhibitionist, but I've never been able to control my feelings when it comes to Peeta.
"I need to be inside you, Katniss. I need to know how wet I make you."
Shit, shit, shit! I'm going to sneak off and fuck my boyfriend at my own sister's wedding. Peeta can see it in my eyes when my resistance dissolves; he instantly grins and stands up, pulling me with him.
We head toward the exit of the reception area, through the doors, down the hall. I barely even see the sign on the door before Peeta pulls me in, but I get just a glance of the small blue triangle woman. The women's bathroom.
Peeta shuts the door and locks it, then he kicks open the two stalls, checking for people, before he comes back to me and finally kisses me. It's hurried, but passionate and loving. Peeta has a way of kissing me like he's a starving man, but also making me feel like I'm being taken care of. I don't know how he does it, but I don't want to question it. I just want to ride the high. I weave my fingers into his golden curls and pull at the roots as I press my soft body to his hard one. He groans into my mouth as his hands work at the zipper of my dress. When it's unzipped, he carefully pulls it away from my shoulders and lets it fall to the floor. He pulls away from the kiss momentarily so he can throw the dress over the stall next to us—so it won't wrinkle. Of course he thinks about that in a heat of passion. That's so Peeta.
As soon as he brings his lips back to mine, I begin to work at the buttons of his shirt. I pop them open as fast as I can, then un-tuck his shirt from his pants. Peeta's mouth moves to my shoulder and his hands grope at my ass as I work on his pants next; I pull down his boxers and slacks in one movement as soon as I unzip them.
He's hard, deliciously so, and I sink to my knees on instinct. I kiss the tip once, causing him to gasp, before I wrap my lips around his cock and suck hard; Peeta's knees almost buckle as he groans loudly. I take him as deep as I can right away, just like Peeta loves, but I only bob up and down a couple times before Peeta pushes me away.
"I need to be in your pussy." My insides flutter at his words; Peeta talking dirty still has an effect on me like nothing else. He kisses me again, his tongue swirling with mine, before he pulls away and turns me around. "Bend over and hold onto the sink," he commands. I do what he says, my fingers grasping the porcelain. He tears my underwear down my legs and I quickly step out of them.
I lift my eyes to the mirror and connect eyes with my fiancé. His irises are dilated, and I can see his hand move up and down his thick length.
"There's no better sight than your body open for me, love," he whispers. I choke on my breath, desire lighting up my body.
"Peeta, please," I practically beg.
This time he does what I say. He takes a step towards me, his left hand reaching out until it grasps my hip, and then, using his other hand to position himself, he thrusts inside me.
"God, I love you," he gasps as he plunges in and out. But I can't say anything back. All I can do is moan, my mouth slack and my eyes squeezed shut, and focus on what he's doing to my body. His hands are clutching my hips so hard there'll be a bruise there tomorrow, his length is stretching me perfectly, so I ripple around him, and his tip keeps brushing that spot inside me that causes my entire being to flush.
"Open your eyes and watch," Peeta says, causing my eyes to flutter open. Oh, God. In the mirror, I can see Peeta slip in and out of me. He was wrong before. There's no better sight than watching Peeta and me as we connect physically—like this.
"Now touch yourself," he says, his hands moving up my back before they sneak around my sides and cup my breasts; my insides squeeze around him in reaction to his palms on my erect nipples and Peeta groans. Moaning, I remove my right hand from the sink and with two fingers, I circle my clit.
Peeta curses and my eyes fly to his in the mirror again. "I'm not gonna last much longer," he gasps, his hips ramming into mine. I nod my head and circle that little buddle of nerves faster. But it doesn't take much. Peeta's lips land between my shoulder blades as his fingers tweak my nipples and I come, shouting his name so loud it echoes.
My orgasm, running on and on, sets off Peeta and his thrusts become erratic as he comes, filling me. He stills, still twitching inside of me and collapses onto my back. We pant in unison as his hands gently caress my arms.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" he asks, his voice soft and consoling. He always does this after we have one of his dirty talk/control-filled sexual adventures. And my answer is always the same.
"Unbelievably so."
He kisses the back of my neck and slips out of me. He walks into one of the stalls and gets some toilet paper and sneaks his hands between my thighs to clean up the evidence of his orgasm; he tosses it in the trash before he wraps his arms around me and gently kisses my lips.
Smiling, we dress each other, sharing quick and long kisses. But it doesn't take too long until we are exiting the bathroom, our hands washed and clasped together.
Finnick and Prim are at the head table when we return to it, taking a break from dancing, I assume.
"See, you owe me ten dollars, babe," Finnick says with a smirk, holding his palm out to Prim. She pushes it away with an insulted look on her face.
"I can't believe you guys snuck off to have sex at my wedding," Prim complains, rolling her eyes. "You guys are completely ridiculous."
I palm my face, blushing from head to toe. "I'm sorry, Prim." And I truly am. I shouldn't have done it.
"It was inappropriate," Peeta says, pulling out my chair for me. But he high-fives Finn's hand anyway.
Gale joins us a minute later, Madge on his arm. They've been dating since I forced him to ask her out. Damn, I do some good match-making, if I do say so myself.
Peeta's arm slides around the back of my chair and I lean into him, sighing, perfectly content. He presses a kiss to my forehead.
"This will be us soon," he whispers into my ear. I nod and turn my head so I can look into those devastating eyes; the eyes that will hold mine for the rest of my life.
I place my hand on his warm chest and press my forehead to his, closing my eyes.
I can't wait.