Everlasting

Chapter 37

Katniss P.O.V.

I hear a knock at the bedroom door and I roll my eyes.

"Go away!"

"Mommy?"

I quickly get up off the bed and go over to the door to unlock it.

"I'm sorry, baby girl," I tell Willow as she walks into the room.

She looks up at me with sad eyes. "Did you think I was Daddy?"

I sigh and nod my head. "Yeah, Willow."

"Mommy, do you hate Daddy now?" My heart literally shatters into a million, tiny pieces as tears fall down Willow's face.

"No, Willow," I say as I sit down on the bed and pull Willow up into my lap. "I will never hate your Daddy. I'm just mad at him."

"Why?"

"Don't worry about it," I tell Willow. If I tell her why I'm mad at Peeta, then she'll feel guilty about it.

"Is Daddy mad at you?"

"Yeah, I think so," I tell her. "But don't worry about it, Willow. It will all be okay." I kiss the top of Willow's head.

"Can I sleep in here with you, Mommy?"

"Of course you can, baby girl," I tell her. I lay down on the bed, and Willow crawls under the covers beside of me. She's out within seconds.

Peeta doesn't come to bed, but I expected that. After a while, Rye starts crying, and I know he's hungry again. I go downstairs to fix Rye's bottle, and I notice Peeta's not there.

"Peeta?" I say as I walk into the kitchen. No answer. I go back into the living room. I can tell by the pillow and the blanket that he's been laying on the couch, but he's not there now. I go back to the kitchen and fix Rye's bottle before heading back upstairs.

I check in the art room real quick, but Peeta's still not there. Once Rye is fed, I carry him over to the bedroom and lay him down beside of Willow.

I make sure the kids are tucked in good before heading back downstairs. Still no sign of Peeta. For some reason, I decide to look outside. When I do, my heart drops.

The car is gone. Peeta's left us.

I take a deep breath and shake my head. I've got to calm down. I know that Peeta more than likely decided to go stay at the bakery tonight.

But that still kills me.

Reluctantly, I go back upstairs and lay down beside of Rye. Willow stirs a little and looks over at me sleepily.

"Mommy?"

"Shh. Go back to sleep, baby girl," I tell her.

"When is Daddy coming to bed?" Willow asks me.

I take a deep breath. "I don't know, Willow."

She frowns at me. "Is Daddy even at home?"

"No, Willow," I tell her. I can't lie to her. "But don't worry. Daddy's okay."

"Why are you mad at Daddy?" Willow asks me.

"Willow, I told you while ago not to worry about it."

"I can't help it, Momma," Willow says with a sigh. "What if Daddy is mad and him never ever comes home?"

"Now, Willow, you know that Daddy would never do that to us," I say softly. "Listen to me, baby girl. Your Daddy loves us very much, and he knows that we love him just as much. That will never change. We're just aggravated at each other right now."