Today is September 12, marking six weeks since my daughter has entered this world. Six long, magnificent, frustrating, sleepless, joyful weeks of motherhood. My little girl is almost two months old and she's already experienced so much. She's spent time in the hospital being poked and prodded with needles and other medical equipment. She's seen the doctor twice and gotten a clean bill of health both times. She's taken a trip to shop in town, as well as the Train station to see her Nona go back home to District Four. And she's been taking naps in her crib during the day instead of her bassinet.
Even though I knew it was coming and that there was absolutely nothing I could do, I was extremely upset to see my mother go. I missed her so much, and her help throughout the ending of my pregnancy and during the first moments of Willow's life was the best gift I could have ever been given. I loved seeing her interact with her first, and potentially only grandchild. I may have gotten my gift of music from my father, but nothing made my heart happier than hearing my mother constantly sing to my little girl. Whether it was to get her to go to sleep, or to her calm down when she was all worked up the sound always put a smile on my face whenever I would hear it.
Our last hug goodbye brought out the tears I had been pushing back the whole way to the train station. I had to make this trip alone because Peeta had work, which made the whole process harder than it would have originally been had he been there to comfort me. The situation was then made even worse when my mother bid adieu to the baby because Willow would not stop crying. It was like she knew what was happening. Mom promised to come back in a couple months, unless she could come back sooner, and encouraged us to travel to Four as soon as we felt comfortable doing so.
Last night, Peeta suggested we try letting Willow sleep in her crib for the night. I protested because I was worried I wouldn't be able to hear her cry right away. I wanted her to be by my bedside and not several feet away in another room. However, I knew she had been sleeping so well in her room during the day, and she would eventually need to sleep in there at night, so I figured why not at least give it a shot. She slept the whole night through until about 3 a.m. when I tiredly went into the nursery, picked her up out of the crib, fed her, and brought her back to bed with me where I let her sleep on my chest.
The sun shines through a crack in our curtains and right into my eyes, making me stir slightly and waking me up. I move my hands to the area Willow had been resting only to find her not there. In a panic, I hastily open my eyes and look beside me to also find that Peeta isn't there either. I convince myself that the two of them are safe and doing something together either in her room or downstairs. I decide to get out of bed and go to test out my theories. I check the nursery first since it is upstairs and closest to Peeta and I's bedroom. When I don't see the pair of them there, I go down the rest of the hallway and down the stairs. I hear Peeta clanking some dishes around in the kitchen and I know I have at least half of my answer.
"Good morning," Peeta greets me as I step in the kitchen.
"Morning," I go over and hug him, "Where's the baby?" I ask after we share a brief kiss.
"She's sleeping in her swing."
"I could have sworn she woke up really early this morning and I brought her in our room and laid her on my chest because she was being difficult about going back to sleep. But I'm also really exhausted so I'm probably just going crazy," I laugh weakly.
"You did. When I woke up, I saw her laying on her belly against your chest. You were zonked, but she was wide awake, playing and making all kinds of cooing noises."
"Awe," I say, feeling my heart melt.
"She's smart," Peeta tells me. "She saw me looking at her and she started pinching up her face like she was going to cry, so I picked her up and brought her down here to let you get some extra rest."
"You're so sweet."
"We played peek-a-boo, and I blew raspberries on her belly after I changed her diaper. I read her a book and we rocked, but she kept grunting and stiffening out—"
"Yes! Ugh, she does that when she thinks we're trying to get her to sleep."
"She does, doesn't she?" he laughs. "But when she got antsy we came back down here and I made her have some tummy time thinking it would wear her out, and I was right. She got fussy so I put her in the swing and she calmed down and I watched as her eyes fluttered shut. I kissed her on the forehead once she was a goner and came in to make breakfast."
"You're amazing. I knew you'd be great with her but you've surprised me, Peeta Mellark. You're the most amazing dad to our little girl and she's so lucky to have you. She already loves you so much, I can tell. Her eyes get big when she sees you or hears your voice. She's going to worship the ground you walk on! And she doesn't even realize that she hit the jackpot with you."
"Why do you have to say things like that?" he says, clearing his throat. "You have no idea the effect you have on me."
"What? Everything I said was true! I love you so much. Just as much as you love me."
"Not true."
"Peeta, I'm not letting you pull the whole 'I loved you first so I love you the most' crap anymore."
He jokingly groans and I roll my eyes.
"Get over here," he commands. "Eat breakfast so we can go do something."
I listen to his command and take a seat at the table. In front of me is my usual fruit bowl, but instead of oatmeal or another food I've been eating a lot of to help keep my milk supply strong, I have two sunny side up eggs and a slice of wheat toast cut in half.
"I have my appointment with Dr. Roman today," I remind Peeta.
"I remember," he smiles his sleepy smile. "I was thinking we could do something as a family before you had to go."
I pick up my fork to prepare a bite to eat when a familiar scent reaches my nose. I look over to see Peeta peeking at something in the oven.
"Are you making cheese buns?" I ask.
He closes the oven up and stands tall.
"How'd you figure that out?"
"The smell."
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he pouts.
"It is! I haven't had any since Willow was still in the NICU."
"I know, I wanted to make them for you."
"Is today something special," I ask and then my eyes get big. "Did I forget our anniversary again?"
"No," Peeta chuckles. "You didn't forget again."
I breathe a sigh of relief, "Then why all the nice gestures? Letting me sleep in, making me cheese buns..."
"Don't laugh."
"No promises."
"Well, the whole letting you sleep thing kind of just worked out because I wanted to play with Willow. She's just getting to be so fun. I love when she—"
"Peeta," I interrupt, knowing he's trying to distract me so he doesn't have to say whatever it is he was going to say.
"I wanted you to wake up in a good mood so you'd have a good day."
"That's all?"
He nods.
"You're hiding something," I furrow my eyebrows at him.
"Alright," he surrenders. "It's been six weeks and I'm ready to jump your bones again."
"Peeta!" I scold with a huge grin and a blush on my face.
"What?" he starts to laugh. "It's been so long."
"I know."
"And our make out sessions can only do so much, sometimes they do too much. They make me want so much more. And I have to see you whip out your boobs all the time, it's not fair."
"Poor Peetie," I frown. "Can't play with the engorged boobs."
"I want to be close with you again. Like close, close."
"If I get the go ahead and I feel comfortable with it, I promise we can try."
"See, I was just trying to get you in a good mood and make sure you were well rested."
"How considerate," I say sarcastically, and take huge bite of my toast.
"Admit it... you're excited."
I shake my head at him, "You're crazy."
"But you love it."
"I do."
We go on about eating breakfast, discussing what we might want to do with the reminder of our morning. I suggest just cuddling in bed the three of us, but Peeta turns that down. I want to take Willow to the meadow, show her to my happy place. The place that my father took me as a child, but the air is too cold for her little body to be out there for too long.
"We could take her to the bakery? Introduce her to everyone?" Peeta suggests. "I mean, if you feel comfortable with it. The staff has been bugging me about it. They all joke with me and say, 'I bet it was all fake. It's been almost two months and we still haven't seen her' and 'Are we ever gonna meet this kid of yours?' I think Dean is getting baby fever... he's the one that asks the most about when we'll bring her in."
"I can't believe she's almost two months old," I say, starring into the living room longing to see Willow.
"Me either," Peeta says. "She's growing way too fast."
"You know, if I went to full term she could have been born today."
"Wow."
"Crazy, right? Could you imagine not having Willow with us in the outside world for the last two months?"
"No I couldn't," he takes a bite of his food and swallows. "Do you miss it? Being pregnant, I mean."
As I finish the bite I took right before he asked me, I think about his question. It was such a challenging and frightening experience, and while I felt like I hated every minute of being pregnant I actually enjoyed most of it.
"Honestly, I kinda do. I thought I would be so relieved to not be pregnant anymore, but I actually miss feeling her wriggle inside me sometimes. I don't know. I love her so much but there's a part of me that feels less connected to her ever since she's been born."
Peeta frowns, "Why haven't you said anything?"
"Because I didn't think it was something to be worried about."
"Katniss, I don't think that's normal. Remember what Dr. Roman said about that postpartum stuff?"
"It's alright, Peeta. It's not like I don't hold her or refuse to acknowledge her," I shrug my shoulders. "There's just something different about her being on the outside."
"You know that I worry about you, that's all."
"I know," I take a sip of my usual morning cup of chamomile tea. "So, should we finish up here and leave for the bakery?"
"You want to?"
Peeta rises from his seat at the table and collects our dirtied plates. He places them in the sink and turns around, leaning against the counter with his hands on each side of him to support himself.
"Yeah," I smile. "Do you want to keep Willow with you at the bakery for the rest of the afternoon then?"
"I don't see why not," he beams. "I can show her around. Maybe teach her a thing or two."
I laugh, "She might still be a little too small for that."
"A Mellark is never too young to learn the ways of baking," he tells me.
I shake my head at him and smile, getting out of my chair to go put my teacup in the sink.
"What?" he grins.
"Nothing. I'm glad you have someone to pass things down to. Really, I just love how happy this has made you."
"I'll never be able to pay you back for this," Peeta says, grabbing my waist and pulling me close to him. "My heart belongs to you, forever."
"And always?"
"Always," he kisses the tip of my nose.
I rest my head against his chest and he begins to sway us back and forth. The calm doesn't last long because a beat later Willow wakes up screaming.
"I can get her," Peeta volunteers.
"I'll feed her first, she's probably hungry. Will you look to see how many bottles of breastmilk are frozen? Just so I can pump if I need to after this feeding."
"Yeah, about how many do you think she'll need while you're gone?"
"Maybe two," I question. "That would last her six hours and I won't be gone that long at all. Actually, make sure we have three just in case. We can take one with us so I won't necessarily have to breastfeed while we're at the bakery and then you'll have one to spare in case she decides to be like she did that one day."
Peeta goes to the freezer and I disappear into the living room.
"Hi, sweet girl," I say in my baby voice to Willow.
Her squeals dull to whimpers and her eyes open just enough to find me. I press the button to turn off the swaying machine and unbuckle Willow. I pick up the baby and put her in my arms.
"Did you have fun with daddy this morning?" I ask her and she coos. "Yeah?"
She kicks her little feet and I find a comfortable spot on the couch. "Are you hungry?"
She makes her excited noises, kicking her legs harder and swinging her arms around. "Yeah? You wanna eat? I think we can arrange for that to be done."
I tuck one leg underneath my body, my foot resting just underneath my bottom, before doing the same to the other side. Sitting with my legs criss crossed, I settle Willow in the arm of the side she'll feed on this time and lift my shirt with the other. I undo the nursing clips of my bra and help Willow get latched on.
"We've got four bottles left," Peeta hollers from the kitchen.
I was hoping we had more than that. I really don't want to pump now. I just want to feed her and get ready to leave. I want this day to get started. Pumping takes a while and I really just want to leave it for this evening, despite it being better to pump after the first feed of the morning. I decide to just wait till tomorrow to do it since I've already technically fed Willow once this morning. If I don't pump it gives me the excuse to do this with my baby girl tonight. I love this time we have together. Even if my nipples are sore and it hurts when she tries to grab my boob with her itty bitty hand.
"OK, thank you," I try my best to quietly holler back so I don't startle Willow.
Peeta appears in the living room, "Do you want me to go get your pump?"
"No, I'll pump tomorrow."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it just takes too long and four bottles is more than plenty for this afternoon."
"Do you wanna shower?"
"Is that supposed to mean something?" I pretend to be offended.
Peeta's eyes widen in fear that he said something wrong, and begins moving his mouth like he's trying to say something, "I-I, usually you, um, wanna— I mean, uh, I-I'm not saying you stink or anything. I don't know. You can shower if you want o-or not—"
"Peeta, I'm kidding," I lightly giggle. "Relax. Yes, I'll want to clean my person. I'm sure I'll have baby vomit somewhere after this if I don't already."
Peeta laughs, kind of forced.
"You shower first since I'm feeding the baby," I tell him.
He leans down and kisses my lips softly, "I'll be quick and then we can trade."
"No rush. This little girl likes to take her time," I say in my baby voice, looking down at the tiny human in my arms.
"Alright."
Peeta gives Willow's small head a rub and she squints up her face.
"Well, tell him not to bother you when you're eating," I laugh at her.
"Just like your Mama."
"Whatever," I roll my eyes. "Go shower. You stink."
"No I don't," he smirks.
"You're right," I pout. "You smell like vanilla and I love it."
He had taken a few steps away from the couch, but he comes back over to give me another kiss.
"Go," I tell him after we pull away.
He turns on his heels and dashes up the stairs the best he can.
"You're daddy is silly, Willow."
"I heard that," Peeta calls out.
"See," I whisper, and then Willow does something I never expected.
She smiles.
. . .
"We're pretty weak as a family unit right now," I laugh, walking through every room of the house and rounding up the things we could potentially need for Willow during our little day-trip to the bakery.
"Why do say that?" Peeta asks.
"Because we're just everywhere. Willow's stuff covers every inch of this house, speaking of which I don't know when it was cleaned last. My hair is still wet from my shower, this is the first time I'm wearing something other than sweatpants and a t-shirt, and you... well, you look fine."
Peeta wiggles his eyebrows at me and I shake my head.
"Watch yourself, Mellark," I warn him.
"I look fine," he raises his eyebrows and slowly walks towards me. He gets to be about a foot in front of me and he squats down and circles his arms around me.
"Whatever you're about to do, don't do it," I say.
"Do what? This?" Peeta asks, pretending not to know what I mean and lifting me up and over his shoulder.
"Peeta! Put me down!"
He runs in a circle around the island in the kitchen and then dining room table before sprinting into the living room and plopping me down on the couch. I can't help but laugh through the whole thing, but my giggling comes to a halt when his body is suddenly hovering over me. His eyes look intently into mine and he brushes my hair out of my face.
"You're so beautiful," he tells me and I feel my face heat up.
The next few seconds feel like they're moving in slow-motion as he leans down. My eyes slowly close and I feel his lips meet mine. The pressure created from the pieces of our flesh pushing against each other lights a fire in the pit of my stomach. Just when I think things can't get any more intense, I feel Peeta's tongue slip in my mouth and I kiss him back with a consuming hunger. He pulls away leaving me wanting more.
"A preview of what's in store for tonight," he whispers in my ear and then climbs off the couch, making me groan. "Come on, we need to go if we're going to get there before the others."
Peeta came up with this plan to get everyone, including the people who weren't scheduled to work today, at the bakery by a certain time. He wants to sneak Willow and I in the back door that's sort of beside his office. He is going to go in through the front and chat with the employees while he waits for everyone to arrive. Then he'll say that the paychecks are in his office and he'll come back to get them but bring us out instead.
Peeta reaches his hands out to me and helps me get off the couch.
"Whoa," he says. "That felt strange. I haven't done that since you had that huge lump in front of you."
I slap his shoulder with my jaw dropped, which is difficult because I'm smiling at the same time.
"Ouch, what was that for?"
"You said I was huge," I fight the urge to laugh, biting my lower lip.
"That's not what I meant," he starts laughing.
"Uh-huh, sure," I say, playfully.
I scoot past him to go retrieve Willow's diaper bag off the table in the kitchen.
"Will you get Willow in her carrier please?" I holler.
"Yeah," Peeta says.
When I get back in the living room, I spot our little bundle of joy dressed in her grey long sleeve onesie with a pair of crimson colored leggings. The headband around her head has a bow that matches her pants. Peeta wraps Willow in the blanket she was laying on in to play and lifts her into his arms.
"You saw that, right Willow?" Peeta says to Willow. "Mama's going crazy."
"I heard that," I say, stepping back inside the living room.
"Payback," he looks at me from over his shoulder and winks.
"We have that hand stuff right?" I ask, searching through the diaper bag again.
"What?" Peeta picks up the carrier with his free hand, setting in on the coffee table so he can put Willow in it easier.
"You know, the thing that gets all the germs off?"
"The sanitizer?"
"That's the stuff," I cheer, but zip the bag shut harshly. "I can't find it."
"We've got some at the bakery."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, Katniss. I'm sure."
"It's just she's still so little, and winter is coming. I just don't want her getting sick from being around so many people at once."
"It will be alright."
Peeta tries laying Willow in the carrier but as soon as his strong calloused hands leave her tiny back, her bottom lip sticks out and her eyes are filled with betrayal. Her chin starts quivering and her eyes instantly fill with tears. As soon as the click noise from securing her straps, she lets out the most sad, loudest cry. My heart breaks when I see the alligator tears rolling down her chunky cheeks. Willow's screams only continue to get louder the more she gets covered up. I can tell by the cry she won't stop until she's back in her father's arms. Peeta shushes the baby and covers her in the blanket she was swaddled in just a moment ago.
"It's ok, Willow," he says, sweetly. "Shh, we're going to go to daddy's work."
I put down the diaper bag and dash up to the nursery to grab the sling, knowing that if she can feel the warmth of a body close to her, she'll calm down. If she doesn't stop crying it will ruin Peeta's plan to have us sneak the baby in without anyone noticing. Plus, this might be something nice for him to use while he's at the bakery with her. Trotting back down the stairs, I start wrapping the material around my body the way my mother taught me.
"Here," I say when I reach the bottom step. "Let's put her in this. It'll keep her quiet and warm."
"That's a good idea."
I stand between the coffee table and the couch as I wait for Peeta to unbuckle Willow from the carrier. When he's got her out, her cries dull but her breathing is still really heavy so I know she isn't settled.
"Put her in here facing me so we're chest to chest," I say, holding out the fabric for Peeta to set Willow inside.
When she slides her in, her little bottom sinks down to my hand I have down to prevent her from falling out until I get the sling tightened up.
"There we go," I say, kissing the top of her head. Her erratic breathing steadies and she turns her head so her ear can find my heartbeat, something that always calms her.
"Get that blanket," I tell Peeta, pointing to the thick and fuzzy blanket we decided to use as the cover for her carrier in the winter months.
He pulls is off the arm of the couch and hands it to me. I open it up and shove it in between the fabric of the sling and her body to give her extra warmth. Peeta collects the diaper bag and puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me to the door to leave the house.
. . .
"Ok, you stay here," Peeta says once we reach the back of the bakery. "When you hear the ding from the bell above the door, count to twenty and then go inside. I don't wanna risk anyone catching a glimpse of you. I'll wait till everyone is here and then I'll come back to my office and get you two, ok?"
"You and your surprises."
"Oh my— is the plan ok?"
"Yes, Peeta. The plan is perfect."
I stand on my tip toes, holding carefully on to Willow even though she's in the sling, and give him a kiss.
"Now go," I tell him. "You're keeping your baby girl in the cold."
"Right," he says and heads towards the front of the building, but he quickly comes back.
"Can't forget to kiss my favorite girl."
"You already did."
"My other favorite girl."
"I'm not you're favorite girl?" I pout.
"Of course you are," he says, then pulls back part of the sling to kiss Willow on the cheek. "I've got two. You and Willow."
"Good save."
"Thanks," he smiles. "Be good for mama, Little Bug"
I watch as Peeta makes his way to the front and wait for the bell's ding. When I hear it, I start counting to twenty. I peek in at Willow as I do so to make sure she won't make any noises when I open the back door."
"Twenty," I say out loud. "Let's go see the bakery Willow."
I open the back door, stick my head in and hurriedly walk to Peeta's office. I start to worry that he might have to door locked, but the handle turns and the door opens. I quietly shut the door behind me and take a seat on the couch across from Peeta's desk.
"This is daddy's office, sweet girl," I whisper to Willow.
Her eyes flit around the room and land back on me.
"Hi baby," I say, running my finger up and down the arch of her nose.
She starts to grin a teeny bit, but she shakes her head from side to side to get my finger away from her nose and then she buries her head in my chest.
"Did that tickle?" I ask her with a giggle. "I need to tell daddy about your smile."
I look around Peeta's office to see that not much has changed other than he has a few new photos on his desk of Willow and myself. I think I see one of me with my pregnant belly so I get up to go get a better look. I lift up and frame and smile when I see the picture. I feel Willow wiggle around in her little cocoon and she makes a grunting noise, kind of like she's frustrated.
"What?" I ask her, seeing that her eyebrows are knitted together.
"Eh," she gripes.
"Am I not paying enough attention to you?" I ask and her face muscles relax. "Yeah? Is that it?"
She just looks up at me, her dark colored eyes that have begun to lighten and look more like her father's stare into my grey eyes. I move the frame containing the picture of my pregnant body into her range of sight and her eyes get big before they almost go cross-eyed staring at the photograph.
"That's you inside my belly," I tell her. "You were very, very tiny there. That was taken the day before you started kicking mama so much."
I set the frame back down, putting it back where it came from.
"What should we talk about? Huh, Willow? What do you wanna discuss?" I ask her, sitting back down on the couch. "Your daddy's birthday is just shy of a month away. What should we get him?"
She coos in response.
"Well he might like that, but what do you think he really wants?"
She tries her best to make words but all that comes out are gibberish noises.
"Oh goodness. That would be a good idea too."
Willow continues to try and babble. It just sounds like a bunch of cooing in different tones. I don't think she's quite old enough to fully babble, but it certainly doesn't discourage her from trying her best to do so.
"I'm so glad I asked you for help," I laugh at how vocal this child is. She is definitely her father's daughter.
I hear footsteps coming towards me, so I try and get Willow to be quiet and go to the back of Peeta's office hoping that the distance will drown out any small noise she makes. The door open and I start to panic thinking it's an employee, but thankfully it's just Peeta.
"Come on out," he says with a smile, holding his hand for me to take.
I step forwards and intertwine our fingers. I lift up my free hand and put my pointer finger to my lips, and shush Willow even though I know she has no idea what it means. However the shushing noise makes her close her eyes. I see them flutter open and closed before they remain closed. Of course she wants to take her early afternoon nap just as she's about to go meet some of the most important people in her parent's lives.
"What's so funny?" Peeta asks.
"She's falling asleep. She's been wide awake until now."
"Figures," Peeta lightly laughs. "Here stay behind me so they don't see you at first."
"Ok."
Peeta lets go of my hand and I let both of mine just swing back and forth naturally at my sides. When we get to the lobby, every single one of Peeta's employees are gathered around: Levi, Raven, Xavier, Brody, Jenna. I even see Dean, but someone unfamiliarly familiar stands beside him. I recognize her but I don't remember who she is exactly. When her face lights up with excitement, I remember who she is. Aubrey, Dean's girlfriend.
"So I may have lied a little bit," Peeta says, gaining everyone's attention.
"I knew something was up," Levi mentions. "You don't have everyone come in for their checks on the same day."
"What's going on?" I hear Raven ask. "We're still getting paid, right?"
Peeta laughs, "Of course, but I wanted you all here for a very special different reason."
"Is that who I think it is?" I barely hear Aubrey whisper to Dean.
He nods, "What are you doing here, Katniss?"
"Katniss is here?" Raven asks.
Peeta steps aside and takes my hand once again, but this time he locks our fingers together. My free hands instinctively goes to rub Willow's back over the sling.
"Holy Sh— it that?" Raven asks.
"This is why I wanted you all here," Peeta says, happily. "Everyone, meet Willow. Willow," Peeta leans over to where Willow's head lays in the sling, "meet the people that work for daddy."
"Your baby is in there?" someone asks.
Peeta nods.
"Really?"
"Yes really," he says.
I take it upon myself to lift her out of the sling carefully so I don't wake her and rest her in Peeta's arms.
"She's so tiny," Jenna says in amazement.
"She weighed eight pounds exactly at her one month check up," I inform them. "She was only three pounds when she was born."
"Gosh she has so much hair," Raven exclaims.
"She was born with so much of it," Peeta answers, proudly.
"You look great Katniss," Raven adds. "It's hard to believe that this cute little thing popped out of you almost two months ago."
"She's perfect no matter what she looks like," Peeta says and then kisses me.
"Would it be too much to ask to hold her?" Raven asks.
"Of course not," I say. "Peeta, let Raven hold her. Wait, um, can you use some hand sanitizer? We just don't want her immune system to be compromised since she was born six weeks or so early."
"Sure."
Raven turns around and goes over to the register where they keep a giant pump bottle of hand sanitizer. She squirts a bit on her hands and comes back to take Willow from Peeta's arms.
"Gosh, she's so light! Ugh, I want one of these," she whines.
Peeta and I just laugh.
He lifts his arm over my shoulders and pulls me close to him. I cuddle in closer and watch as the people who have became family over the years swoon over our Little Bug. It doesn't take long before every single staff member has gotten the chance to hold Willow. Peeta and I share smiles, laughs, and a couple of kisses as our daughter is passed from person to person until she finally makes her way back to my arms.
Dean clears his throat and everyone turns to look at him.
"Since everyone is here," he starts, "I just want to tell everyone that Aubrey here has agreed to be my wife. We're getting married!"
Everyone starts clapping, hooting, and hollering. Someone whistles and it startles Willow. I cover her ears as everyone starts cheering and making a ruckus. Thankfully, she settles down and doesn't wake up. When I look up again, Peeta has left my side and gone to congratulate Dean.
I remember the day Dean confided in me and told me about his love for Aubrey. I'm so glad he took my advice and proposed. That's also when I remember I still have yet to meet Aubrey.
"Hey Aubrey," I holler, and motion her over to me. "Come here."
I see her lean over and say something to Dean, I guess she's telling him that she's coming to say hello to me.
"Hi, I'm Katniss," I reach out to shake her hand, still holding on to Willow tightly.
"I know who you are," she says nervously, shaking my hand.
"Don't be nervous," I smile softly. "Let me see the ring!"
"Oh," Aubrey lifts up her left hand delicately and I admire her ring.
"It's gorgeous," I say, letting her have her hand back. "Congratulations."
"Same to you," she says. "She's beautiful."
"Thank you," I say. "Yeah, she's been a pretty good addition to the family."
"Dean hasn't stopped talking about the baby since he found out she had been born. He loves babies."
"So does Peeta," I laugh.
"Your ring is very pretty too," Aubrey says, seeing my wedding ring as I adjust Willow in my arms.
"Thank you," I say, looking down at my ring with utter happiness. "It's been almost ten years since Peeta gave me this ring and it still feels surreal. It feels like just yesterday he proposed to me."
"You guys seem really happy."
"Yeah," I blush, looking over at Peeta as he talks to Dean. "I'd be nothing if I didn't have Peeta. My world would be so much darker without him in it. So much duller. He drives me crazy some days, like just now he had me hiding in his office so he could surprise everyone with the baby. But he's the love of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I hope that Dean and I will have a love like yours," she tells me.
"I know how much he loves you," I start. "If you love him just as much... you will."
"Do you mind if I hold her?" Aubrey asks. "I didn't get the chance to yet. It didn't feel right since I didn't know you as well."
"Sure," I say and pass Willow over to Aubrey. I see her face light up and her maternal instincts kick in. That's when I know it won't take ten years before Dean can convince her to have a baby.
"She's absolutely gorgeous," Aubrey says.
"Thank you," I smile.
A few minutes later Willow returns to my arms again. Feeling her weight fill my embrace— that's what makes me feel totally, fully, and completely content. It's as though she's something I've been missing my while entire life. In this moment, the fear, the pain, everything I felt leading up to Willow's birth has been washed away. The future isn't uncertain anymore. I'm no longer afraid of what's to come because I know what her future holds. It's this. She's going to grow up feeling loved by so many people. Things have never looked more perfect than they do right now.
***
AN:
Remember Dean from Chapter 9? It's been a while haha
How about that fluff??
Favorite part of the chapter?
And how CUTE is that pic of Willow?!
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! ❤️ Don't forget to vote! ⭐️
I'll post the next part tomorrow because (1) this is already 6,000+ words and (2) I'm still working out a scene, it just isn't working out the way I want it to!! But get ready to ship some Luxman!!! 😉😍
Oh, and leave me some of your favorite love songs!
Katniss' Wedding Ring!
Was going to pick one with a pearl but then I saw this ring with the "ALWAYS" and this HAD to be it!