Peeta POV-
"Hey, kid. What can I get for you?" The lady behind the coffee shop counter asks.
I smile, "May I get two hot chocolates, please?"
"Sure thing." She says and I hand her the money and wait.
"Here you go." She says a few minutes later, handing me two cups.
"Thank you." I say and turn around, running smack dab into someone, nearly spilling the piping hot drinks all over us both.
"I am so sorry! Uh, hey. I'm sorry about that." I say to the girl who is Bristol Brown.
"Oh, uh, hey. It's fine." She says, looking at the ground.
"Listen, we are so sorry about the other day." I start.
"No, it's fine." She says.
I look at her and realize she's missing someone.
"Uh, where is Carter?" I ask curiously.
Bristol looks over and back up at me nervously, "She is over there." She says pointing to a man about her age and Carter who sits in front of him on the table.
"Oh, who is that?" I ask curiously.
"Uh, he's my friend. Actually, he's kind of my boyfriend. Please don't tell Katniss." She begs me.
"Um, okay." I say awkwardly.
"Do you mind if I go tell Carter 'hi,' I've really missed her this last week?" I say truthfully.
I am use to seeing her almost everyday and I would feel bad if I saw her and didn't talk to her.
"I'll come with you." Bristol says, guiding me over to the table, where her friend gives us a suspicious look.
"This is Peeta Mellark. He is my best friend's husband." Bristol introduces me to her boyfriend but she doesn't tell me his name and neither does he.
He nods a little awkwardly.
"Hey, Carter." I say, putting my hand on Carter's little brown head. She looks up at me and her brown eyes light up, she bounces up and down excitedly and reaches out for me.
"Sorry, baby. I gotta go. Aunt Katniss is in the car waiting on me." I break it to her, trying to get myself out of here quickly.
She starts babbling to me and her mom and I just hope she doesn't say it in front of her mom's new boyfriend.
"I'll see you soon." I tell Carter and I wave to Bristol and her boyfriend and begin to walk away.
"Peeta, wait." Bristol says, pulling me back over.
I look at her, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
"How is Katniss doing?"
I sigh, "She's on strict bedrest."
"I got your text. I'm glad she and Willow are okay." She says awkwardly.
"Me too." I say and begin to walk away.
"Tell her that I want to see her soon." She adds in.
I nod my head and I leave about the time I hear Carter start throwing a fit.
I go to the car, putting on a poker face and hoping Katniss didn't see anything.
"What took so long?" Katniss asks as I get into the car.
I hand her a cup.
"Long line." I lie.
I can't tell her about seeing Bristol or about the fact that she already has a boyfriend.
"Oh." Katniss says.
I put my seatbelt back on and flip the radio on, turning it down low.
"Ready?" I ask.
She nods her head, pulling her jacket tightly around herself and holding the piping hot drink in her hands.
"Yeah." Katniss says.
I pull away and we go.
"Goodness, that must take forever." Katniss points at a house that's completely covered in multicolored Christmas lights.
I chuckle, "I bet so." I say truthfully.
We go on every lit up street, admiring their lights and over the top decorations.
One house we come across is pretty ridiculous, as are several.
"I think I'm all Santa Claus-ed out after that last house." Katniss giggles as we pass a house that is literally covered roof to ground in Santa Claus decor.
"If some people are this crazy with decorating on the outside, imagine what their houses look like on the inside." I tell her.
She laughs, "I love Christmas but I don't like more decorating than you and I do."
"A tree." I chuckle.
Katniss and I share a laugh, "Pretty much."
We drive around for about two hours.
I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of a waste of gas but it got Katniss out of the house and we got to do something besides being stuck at home together, so I guess it was pretty nice.
Katniss's stomach growls loudly and she tries to hide it.
"How about we go get some dinner?" I chuckle, obviously hearing her stomach rumble hungrily, even though we ate at four.
She looks over at me, I can see it out of the corner of my eye that she wants to ask me something.
She takes a nervous breath, "Peeta, can we please go to the park and have a picnic?" She pleads.
"Sweetie, it's like 35 degrees out here and I don't think Dr. Coles would like us going to a park while you're suppose to be on bedrest." I tell her.
She groans, "Please? There is a blanket in the back you brought. I'm seriously craving time outside, please?
She hasn't gotten to do anything fun and won't for awhile and I feel bad but she's not suppose to be doing anything but I will be the first to admit that tonight hasn't been very fun.
I sigh, "I will think about it, but she already scolded us both for how we follow rules and you've tested it a lot more than you should, you know."
"I know but you try not being able to go wherever and do whatever you want for three months."
"It's been a week. Give it time and you'll hate it even more." I tease her, but it is very true.
"Can't wait." She groans.
I sigh, "How about I go order us a salad from the restaurant by the market?"
I see her nod her head.
I drive out there and I go inside, ordering the food and coming back to the car with it.
I hand her the food, ultimately deciding.
"I'm going to let us go to the park but I'm carrying you to the benches and you're gonna sit down and you're not to get up." I say sternly.
Katniss doesn't say anything.
I drive to the same park we came to last year when we did this and luckily, there's a place to park that's not too far away from the picnic tables.
It probably wouldn't hurt her to walk there because it's like ten steps but I'm scared one step more than she's suppose to have will put her back into labor and she hasn't been exactly following orders this whole pregnancy.
"I'm gonna go put our food on the table and you grab the blanket and I'll come get you in a second." I say getting out.
I walk over and set our food on the table and walk back to Katniss who is trying to get out of the car by herself, hopping down actually.
I run over to her, putting my hand on her shoulders.
"It's okay, I can walk." Katniss says, nonchalantly determined.
I block her from going anywhere, "No. Katniss, we aren't even suppose to be doing this, you're not walking." I say angrily.
She's been walking way more than she's suppose to and no matter what I do she doesn't really listen to me and I'm over it.
"Then I'm not going." Katniss says, crossing her arms.
I know she thinks I'll give in and let her walk over herself but I'll be damned if she does it and refrain from rolling my eyes.
"Okay, then we can just go home." I say, going around to my side of the car, knowing she will just give in and let me carry her.
"Wait." Katniss says.
"What?"
"Just come on, please?" Katniss says.
I roll my eyes and walk over to her. I bring her over to the picnic table and set her down gently. I sit down next to her and she wraps her arms around my waist as I open up our plastic silverware and set her food in front of her.
"Eat up." I say, kind of annoyed with her.
She wraps the blanket around us both and snuggles up to me. I can't help but to kiss the top of her head as we both dig in.
"I find it funny that we are eating a salad in the middle of winter, outside." Katniss giggles.
I can't help but to allow myself to smile, "I find it pretty hilarious." I mumble.
The things I will do for my pregnant wife, eating a salad in the middle of winter on a park bench at nine o'clock at night, is something crazy.
Katniss finishes her huge salad in about ten minutes, which honestly isn't unusual for her, especially pregnant her.
I finish mine about five minute later, wondering how the hell Katniss's tiny body can eat so quickly.
"Let's head home. You look sleepy." I say, looking into her dazed eyes.
She laughs tiredly, "I'm always sleepy."
We go home and make it upstairs minutes later as we passionately kiss one another.
"Katniss, stop. You know we can't do anything." I say, realizing she's trying to pull my shirt off.
"I know." She says through the kiss.
I chuckle, "Then leave my shirt alone." I say breaking away.
"Then take it off." Katniss says.
"No."
"But you're so hot, Peeta!" Katniss says, trying to pry my shirt off.
I hold her back, "I think you had a little too much sugar tonight, Sweetie." I laugh, remembering how she hasn't had much sugar in awhile and had two cookies and a hot chocolate.
"I need more." She says, kissing my lisp again passionately, which I don't mind but she's getting too rowdy for her condition.
I laugh out loud, shaking my head at her as she finally gives it up, laying down next to me again, the best she can, her head on my chest.
I swear she's either in a 'don't touch me' mood or 'let's have sex' mood lately.
"Sorry." She grumbles.
I chuckle, "It's okay." I laugh.
We lay together for a long time before she finally speaks up.
"I wish Bristol wasn't mad at me anymore, because I really miss her." She mumbles to me.
"I am sure she's not mad anymore and I bet she wants to see you too." I say.
"How do you know?" She whispers.
I hold my tongue, knowing I can't say anything about what happened tonight or the new information I discovered about our dear friend.
"I think that I know you both too well." I whisper.
Correction: I know Katniss all too well.
With Bristol, it's usually a hit or miss.
"Are you still upset with me about everything that happened?"
I try to think of how to put this and finally, I come up with a way of telling her.
"I am not upset about anything but one thing. I'm only upset that you put your health and Willow's health in danger by reacting the way you did. I know that you've been taking everything to heart lately and I don't blame you for being upset because if we are being honest, you were extremely calm until Bristol said something to us." I tell her truthfully.
I know Katniss is extremely emotional and the silliest things upset her but I can't really blame her for it. I know that if my best friend's kid called Katniss 'mom' I would be a little upset with it and I shouldn't have been as angry as I was but she reacted badly towards Carter and it really upset her.
I mean she said her first word and Katniss and I started yelling at each other and then she says it again the next day and we all three yelled at each other. I think if we wouldn't have gotten angry in front of Carter, I would've felt different about the entire situation.
"I know I didn't help that night by yelling at you for overreacting but I still don't think it's Carter's fault in a way. I am sorry that I keep losing my patience with you, especially tonight at the park. I just can't let anything happen especially because you're stubborn." I start.
Katniss stays completely and utterly still and silent.
"I know that you'll probably ignore me when I say this but I need to scold you..."
She sighs.
"You don't understand how scared I was last week. I've been worried sick about you both since we found out and I've screwed up a lot. I know that, but I think that this last week has been one of the best weeks we've had in forever. I know we aren't suppose to bring up the past but I need to tell you that I don't want you testing me anymore on this. I know you're bored and I know tonight sucked but if something happens to you or Willow, I would be devastated-absolutely a thousand times more devastated than I was with my family." I tell her truthfully.
I can't bear to think about how if something happened to either of them how hurt I would truly be.
I swear, these two girls have my entire heart and I love them more than I could've ever imagined loving anyone else.
I might literally die if something happened to either of them. I mean it's my true love and our baby, of course I would.
I feel her breaths getting heavy and I know she's about to cry.
"When we were faced with the fact that our baby could be in the hospital for the first three months of her life, instead of at home with us, I was scared to death. I am scared to death about being a dad and I know you're scared too but we aren't helping. We need to listen to everything Dr. Coles tell us to do and I'm putting an end to you testing it." I say sternly.
She's walked and moved way more than she's suppose to be and no matter what I tell her she does it anyways and I'm absolutely sick of it.
I really thought after last week she would listen to me about it all but she hasn't.
Hell, I thought after the whole beach thing she would but she didn't.
I know she's tired of being pregnant and I know she's frustrated with everything but I can't afford to have something happen to her or Willow, or them both.
It would cost me my life, I know that.
But I also know that if something happened to one and not the other, I would have to be there for the other. I made a promise to Katniss and I know I can't break that one.
"Okay." Katniss says.
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad or be mean but I don't want anything to happen. I know that I haven't helped you any in your pregnancy but I am gonna be here now and I'm not going to let anything else happen." I tell her.
"You've helped me more than anyone in this, Peeta." She says, trying to make me feel better but we both know the truth.
I still don't understand how I left her for those few weeks or how I even went and got drunk that day, even though I had absolutely no idea what she was going to be revealing to me because that was the last thing I expected but I still shouldn't have done it.
It wasn't suppose to be that way.
We were suppose to have this all planned out. Our journey into parenthood.
We we're suppose to find out together and I was suppose to be at her side the entire time.
I wasn't suppose to come home drunk and offering her alcohol to drink away our problems together for her to ask me when it was her turn to get drunk. She wasn't suppose to tell me that she was three, nearly four months pregnant with our child and found that out while I was out getting drunk.
It wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to Willow and that'll always be in the back of my mind and I know it will be in hers.
"Its not true. I caused a lot of stress and left you." I remind her.
"That doesn't matter."
"It will always be in the back of both of our minds. You know that but let's not bring it up." I say truthfully.
"Okay, but from this point forward, nothing bad from our past can be brought up."
"Deal."
"I just can't imagine me being pregnant one second and then then next being at home without her." Katniss tells me.
"And that's what I've been so afraid of. I don't want that for me or you or Willow. I don't want her be up there by herself without us and I couldn't stand it. It wouldn't be right. She's our baby and she's suppose to be at home with us. I don't know how to explain it but that's why I'm so adamant for you to listen to me, especially now."
Katniss turns her head and kisses my chest, "I will try. I promise."
I lean down and kiss the top of her head.
I reach down and rub her back, knowing from now on, she will at least try a little harder to listen.
I know that she has tried this whole time but she's stubborn and can stand a lot of things longer than most people but she needs to do what she's suppose to and I'm going to too.