You And I: Sequel

Chapter Twenty Two

Monday morning though, I'm still not back at work. Christmas Holiday I get 2 weeks off and since Finnick has it off too we decided to shoot some hoops at the local gym.

He tosses me the basketball and I throw it into the basket.

"You've improved since we played last." He says getting the ball. "What is she doing?"

"She is buying her all this stuff and doing a bunch of things with her that are way out of the way, going against my authority and spoiling her." It's not even fair play, we can't afford to spoil her like Mackenzie can.

"Have you thought maybe you could spoil her?" He asks. I know he is only kidding because no responsible parent would do that. Exactly why Mackenzie is.

"You're funny." I roll my eyes at him and pick up a second basketball. "I am taking her to dinner tonight though, I decided I need some alone time with her to talk about a few things so we are going to go out to eat."

"I do that with Luci and Lillian sometimes too." He says. "What are you going to say to her?"

"I'm going to have to tell her more about her mother and I, maybe that will be enough to make her choose me at court. " I throw the ball from the three point line and miss it.

"Oh, fail." Finnick throws his and it swishes. "Peeta don't have that mindset. You can't just tell her things to make her want you more, you need to tell her things when she is ready to know them."

"I know, but I really don't want to lose her." I sit down on the bench leaning forward with my hands folded. Finnick comes over and sits the same way I was.

"Libbie has had you to look up to for the first seven years of her life, and she has had you and Katniss for the past seven. There is no way a woman who just showed up a month ago is going to take her away from you two."

"Well she seems to be getting on well with Mackenzie." I mumble.

"It was one weekend, what if she doesn't like Mackenzie's husband?" That's true, I wonder if Mackenzie has tried to make her call him dad instead of me.

"It'll be fine, Annie and I will be there to defend you if you need it okay?"

"Alright." I again mumble.

"Good. Now, let's do what we came here to do. Watch me kick your butt in basketball." He stands up and jogs out onto the court.

"You wish." I get up as well, preparing myself for the game.

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"Libbie? Are you ready?" I holler up the steps. It's 6 p.m. and our reservations are at a restaurant 45 minutes away at 7 p.m.

"Just a minute!" Why does it take girls so long to get ready? She is a 13 year old going on a date with her father, what does she need to get ready for?

I walk into the family room where Elijah is sat on the floor playing the video game he got for Christmas. Sometimes I forget I have a son. I guess not so much in literal terms but I forget to play video games with him, or talk to him about school, or really anything else. Things have been so busy lately and seem to focus around Libbie.

Katniss is sitting on the couch watching him play, bouncing Cassie in her lap.

"I figured you would have left by now."

"She is taking forever. I'm half tempted to cancel the reservations and take her to McDonalds."

"I'm here, I'm here." She says. I turn around and see her in a dress I didn't buy her.