Peeta POV-
"Willow, baby girl, come here." I say as she wonders off into the kitchen.
I stand up and walk towards the kitchen. I see her trying to get in the fridge. "What are you doing?" I ask her with a laugh.
I walk over and open the refrigerator to see if she even knows what she wants or if she's just being ornery. She points at the light and starts telling me stuff.
I just widen my eyes and listen, "Really?"
She nods.
Then shuts the door and walks away. I laugh and shake my head, scooping her up into my arms as I walk by.
"You're so silly!" I say to her and I start tickling her and she giggles.
"You are!" I tell her, laughing myself.
I set her down in front of me and take a seat and she stands up, running around the couch, towards the front door, right as Katniss walks in and nearly is hit by the door.
Willow stops in her tracks and I do too.
She looks up at Katniss.
"There's Mommy!" I say cheerfully and Katniss picks a very excited Willow up.
I jump up, "How'd it go?" I ask her curiously.
"Fine." She says smiling as Willow grabs her cheeks and kisses her with an open mouth.
Katniss smiles, closes her eyes and scrunching her nose as Willow gives her a lovely kiss right on the lips. She's still working on the whole puckering up for a kiss and not keeping her mouth open wide.
"That's good, I guess." I laugh a little as Katniss wipes away slobber from her lips and pecks mine.
"That was rude. Mommy wiped off your kiss." I tell Willow and ruffle hair her.
Katniss wipes her mouth again, "And yours." She laughs and sets Willow back on the floor.
"What'd they say was wrong? You haven't been that sick in awhile."
"Nothing really. They said it's just a bug and it should go away in a few days but since I've been around you and Willow there's a chance you both could get it too."
"Oh." I sigh.
"I'll be fine but I don't want her sick."
"But I got a shot & some medicine and I haven't really been around you both that much since so hopefully not."
"Well, if so there's nothing to really do. I was hoping it wasn't something serious." I say truthfully.
We haven't had to go to the doctors for anything bad lately and I hope to keep it that way. Hopefully Willow doesn't catch what Katniss had because she was miserable until I convinced her to go to the doctor's this morning.
"I'll be fine." She says.
"I know you will be but I worry about you." I tell her.
She laughs, "Well, you shouldn't. I'm fine, I've been way sicker than this." She reminds me.
"But still."
She playfully punches me, "Go get your daughter from the bathroom."
I turn around and see Willow is in fact running towards the bathroom.
I sigh and chase after her.
She's figured out that if she runs I'll chase her and it's become a game with her but of course, I keep playing it, because I'm sure that there are much worse games to play.
"Come on." I say as she runs back into the living room.
Katniss is on the couch, "So, we get to see the bakery tomorrow?"
"Yep. They got it all finished inside and all we gotta do is put the appliances inside and order some supplies."
"That's good." Katniss says.
"Yeah, I think so. Hopefully you'll like it."
"I'll love it and I'll love it even more because it's yours." She smiles. I plop down next to her and then kiss her lips.
"It's ours." I remind her.
She sighs and then just smiles at me, "I'm really proud of you."
I smile big.
Willow brings me one of her toys and then gives Katniss one too and then tries climbing up onto the couch next to her but fails, falling onto the ground.
The funny thing about Willow is, that every time she falls, she just gets this really annoyed or maybe confused look on her face and gets right back up.
So that's what she does.
"Get up." Katniss tells her and she does. She helps hoist her onto the couch and she sits snuggled up to Katniss's side.
I swear she's such a little adult.
"What are you doing, baby girl?" Katniss asks her.
She takes the toy from Katniss and then points at the one in my hands.
I chuckle and hand it to her.
"She's such a weirdo." Katniss giggles.
I smirk, "She gets that from you." I wink.
"Ha. Ha." She says, sticking her tongue out.
"I love you." I say, kissing her cheek.
"I love you more." She says.
I chuckle, "No way."
"Yup."
"I love you." She says slowly to Willow.
She just smiles sweetly and continues playing.
We've also learned, Willow only talks when she wants to talk and says what she wants to say. She can say things like 'no' and 'brat' if you can imagine that. And she occasionally says 'Dada' and 'Mom.'
"I dug out all your recipe tasting stuff from your pregnancy and we have a good start to a menu plus anything else you think we should add." I tell her.
"Gosh, there's probably all kinds of food then." She laughs.
"There's quite a bit. There's nothing I see missing so I guess we can start with that stuff for now and add more if we want later?"
"Sounds good. Where's the lists?"
"On the island in the kitchen." I say.
She nods and starts to get up but I stop her, "No, I'll get it." I say and she sits back down.
I grab the papers and come back in.
"There's about 20 different things which sounds good for now." I say, showing her the list.
"Gosh, you're making me hungry doing this. You do realize that you opening this bakery means I'm going to get fat." She laughs.
"Whatever!"
She smiles, "You should make me and Willow some cheese buns."
"You and Willow some cheese buns or just you?" I chuckle.
"I'll share." Katniss smiles.
(A few months later)
"Welcome to the KP Mellark Bakery." I say to a family who walks in.
"Hello." The mother with a few children grins.
I smile and wave to a little boy who stares up at me.
"What can I get for you?" I ask the mom.
She looks at her two boys and then at her older daughter on the opposite side of her.
"Momma, I want one of those." One says pointing at a cheesebun, our most popular item.
When Katniss is here I can't keep them on the shelves.
I grab one out and put it in a box and wait for the rest of their order.
"And can we have two of those and one of-" I tune out when I see who walks through the door.
"There's Daddy." Katniss says to Willow who excited bounces up and down in her arms and reaches for me, across the place.
I smile proudly, "Hey." I say, "I'm sorry. What did you ask for?"
"One of these and two of these, please." She smiles.
I feel Willow at my legs as I figure up the amount and the lady pays.
"I'm guessing this is your family?" The lady asks.
I nod and pick Willow up, "Yes, ma'am." I say smiling and Willow waves at her.
"Hi." The lady says to her.
"Well, thank you very much. I'm glad we finally have a bakery again."
"I appreciate your business. Thanks for coming in." I say, smiling sadly and they leave.
I set Willow on the counter top and feel Katniss's arms wrap around my waist.
"Hello, my handsome baker." She says.
I chuckle and look down at her, "Hello, my...beautiful wife."
She laughs, "We missed you."
"Well, I missed you both too." I say truthfully, poking Willow on the nose. She lets out a little laugh.
"So we decided to come visit you...And I am procrastinating laundry." Katniss laughs.
"Well, how about when we get home, we put this thing to bed and I'll help you?" I ask her with a smirk.
She laughs, "That sounds fabulous." Katniss says.
I chuckle, "Great. Sound good, Willow?"
She bobs her little head.
Again, an adult in a 16 month olds body.
I chuckle, "You're so cute." I tell her.
Katniss clears her throat.
I laugh and let Willow onto the floor.
"You're cute too..." I say with a smirk and wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close to me.
"But Willow has you beat." I chuckle and kiss her forehead. She giggles and playfully slaps me on the arm.
"Momma!" Willow squeals and peeks around the counter at Katniss.
I laugh, "Mommy is coming, you better run!" I say, letting go of Katniss as I hear Willow's little feet padding across the floor of the bakery.
Katniss runs over and Willow squeals.
I just bask at the sight.
Since I've gone back to work, which has only been a few weeks, I've seen Katniss and Willow have gotten so much closer.
I have been missing them both like crazy though.
I haven't been getting home until about 7:30 some nights and then I leave at 5:00am. I rarely have time to see them anymore.
Thankfully, Katniss comes up a lot during the day but it's still not as much as I would like.
We've talked about hiring some people but I really don't trust anyone but myself and Katniss to do the job and I know that's bad but it's true. I just don't want to share it with anyone but us, I guess.
That's partly why I didn't call it 'The Mellark Bakery' because that was my parent's bakery and this one is Katniss and I's.
"It's nearly 5 so if you wanna head home, I will close down early tonight and maybe be home by 6 or 6:30?" I tell Katniss.
"Okay, that sounds better than it has been." She says.
Katniss pecks my lips and I kiss Willow's forehead, "I'll see you later."
"Tell Daddy bye." Katniss says to Willow and she turns around and waves at me.
"Bye, baby." I say smiling sadly.
"Love you." Katniss says at the door.
"I love you too." I say and they're gone.
I sigh and sit back down behind the counter, watching the clock.
A few other people come and go, come and go and I'm able to close down by 6.
I head home and find them in the kitchen, cooking dinner. They don't notice me though.
"Hopefully Daddy gets here soon because I'm starving!" Katniss tells Willow.
Willow listens to her, her head on Katniss's shoulder.
"Are you sleepy, baby?" Katniss says in a baby voice and pats her back.
"Well, don't go to sleep until Daddy comes home so he can see you." Katniss tells her.
I knock on the doorframe of the kitchen and Katniss jumps.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there." She says.
I walk further into the kitchen.
"You want me to go put her to bed?" I ask.
She sighs and nods, "Here." She says and I smile sadly at her.
"Hurry up." Katniss says and I can't tell if she's joking or not.
I nod my head.
"Goodnight, baby." Katniss kisses her cheek and we go.
I put Willow in her crib and she's out.
"Goodnight, sweetheart." I say and close the door.
I go back downstairs and see Katniss sitting at the table.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just really missed you." Katniss throws herself into my arms.
My arms wrap around her and hold her close to me, rubbing her back gently, "I've missed you too." I say truthfully.
"I know that we just opened and you're trying to build business back up but do you think that you could start coming home a little earlier?"
I nod, "I promise, I will do my best."
"I'm not trying to be needy but Willow and I have been missing you like crazy."
I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead, "Well, I've missed you both like crazy too. I can try to get it figured out. I don't know why I made times like that anyways...I have complete control so I shouldn't have." I apologize.
"It's okay." Katniss says.
I nod, "Did you need me to help you with that laundry?"
"No, I got it." She says, going back to the stove where I delicious smelling dinner awaits.
"What are you cooking?" I ask her.
She sighs, "Some mashed potatoes and green beans and some kind of noodley stuff."
I chuckle, "Noodley stuff?"
"Yes, don't laugh."
I scoff, "I can't help but to laugh."
Katniss chuckles, "Quit."
"It was funny and adorable."
"It was just a word I said because I have no idea what this stuff would be called."
I laugh and shake my head at her.
"So, what do you want to do since it's so early and Willow shouldn't be up until at least 2am." I laugh.
She sleeps well through the night but about 2am every time, she usually ends up in bed with us.
"I don't know." Katniss says, shrugging.
"Do you have some sort of idea?"
She laughs, "Not really. I just want to spend time with you."
"Well, I think that sounds fabulous."
"Just fabulous." Katniss says.
I smirk, "You know you sound like Effie when you say that?"
She snorts, "You said it first."
"True but I wasn't her teacher's pet."
"Ha. Ha." Katniss says sarcastically.
"You were!" I tease her, but it's the truth.
"Well, yes but I got to spend more time with you and getting to know you so..."
I laugh, "And I am very thankful for the fact that you were every teacher's pet. Not just Effie's."
"Oh, hush. You love me."
"I never said that I didn't." I smirk and grab her cheeks, pressing a hard kiss to her lips.
"But I think I know what our time together shall consist of." Katniss grins and pulls away slowly.
"I think so too."
"Well, let's get this shown on the road. Dinner is done let's eat and get to it!" Katniss says flipping off the stove and grabbing plates from the cabinet.
"Someone is eager..." I laugh.
"We have barely kissed since we had her, yes. I'm kind of eager to kiss you a little longer than a quick second."
I chuckle, "It's because I'm irresistible. Right?" I wiggle my eyebrows.
She laughs, "Something like that. You're sexy."
I laugh, "You aren't too bad yourself. But I didn't marry for good looks."
"I didn't either."
"Then why'd you marry me?" I ask her, knowing we are both about to become pretty sentimental.
"Because I love you." She says simply.
I smile and plop some potatoes onto a plate for her, "I love you too."
"And because you are really sweet and kind. And because I know you've always really cared about me."
I nod, my face heating up and my heart feeling good.
"I have always really cared about you and I always will." I assure her.
"Same for you." She says.
I smile and we sit down at the table together and eat.
"This is really good." I say truthfully, a mouth full of food.
Katniss chuckles and takes a bite too, "Thanks. I'm working on my cooking."
"Hey, tomorrow is Saturday. How about you both come up and we spend the day together? You could help if you wanted to or do whatever you want." I suggest.
"I think that would be fun." She smiles.
"Good. I would love that."
"At least we get most weekends off. I'm gonna start closing Saturdays soon, I just wanted it to be for a little bit until we got more business, which we've gotten a lot of."
"See, I told you that you'd get a lot of business."
I laugh, "Finnick comes in four times a day... I'm pretty sure having him alone could keep us in business."
Katniss giggles, "Finnick is an idiot. Hopefully he comes in tomorrow..."
"Why? So you can be mean to him?" I say.
"Yes." She tells me.
"Poor Finnick."
"You're just lucky that I'm nice to you." Katniss says.
"You're always nice to me..." I say with a huge cheesy grin.
She playfully slaps me, "Except when you do that."
"Hurry up!" She says anxiously.
"I'm eating as fast as I can! Obviously you were too, you scarfed that down." I tease her.
"Shut up." She laughs.
I love that I can tease her about her little quirks and she doesn't care and same for her and me.
"There." I say, "I'm finished."
"Let's go!" Katniss jumps up excitedly.
I laugh as she drags me into the living room.
"All we are doing is kissing passionately, right?"
"Maybe more if you would hurry up!" Katniss says.
I chuckle, what has gotten into her?
Of course, we both attack and we do happen to do something else that I'm not going to say because you already know.