Chapter Text
“Who are we inviting to your baby shower? Prim asks. Adeline and I have come to meet her for brunch in between her double shift. She’s been head down in her work for the last few weeks as she has begun as a resident in the last month. She tells me she is on top of her class and is who all the Doctors want on their service.
I lick the froth from the spoon of my hot chocolate and scowl slightly. Adeline sits on Prim’s lap. She barely makes a peep and listens to us like she’s a teenager. I wonder if she’s going to cause me trouble when she’s actually that age.
But the baby shower was what I was silently dreading. Especially the inviting of people. Well, Peeta’s mother. I was contemplating whether I invite her or leave her off. Would she even know I was having one if we kept it a secret? I couldn’t endure the hours spent with her. Endure the bitching and moaning and snide comments about Peeta’s midlife crisis. About me. About Adeline and about Button.
I wanted to enjoy my afternoon with my friends and family. Have a carefree afternoon with mocktails, laughs and being spoilt by my friends and family. I had envisioned a shower and secretly had wanted one when I was pregnant with Adeline but wasn’t ready to return home. Nancy threw me a small one with a few of her friends I came to know but it didn’t feel the same. They spoilt me but I didn’t feel the longing was fulfilled.
“I’ll write you a list if that’s OK?” I ask her.
She nods. “Of course. Decide quickly because we’re running out of time.” She pushes.
“I know.” There were only really 4 and a half weeks until the shower. “There are just a few people I’m undecided on.”
“Like your mother-in-law?”
I groan. “Yes.”
“We don’t have to invite her.”
“We kind of do.” I say.
“It’s your baby shower, you should be surrounded by those who you love.” She reminds me. She shifts Adeline over to me after a big kiss. I thank her. “I’ve got to get going but I’ll talk to you later.”
I hug her goodbye and watch her head off upstairs to restart her shift. I finish my hot chocolate and coo with Adeline, playing a game of tickles and peak-a-boo.
Peeta was at the bakery for most of the day and it was up to Adeline and me to entertain ourselves.
I had an appointment with Effie in twenty minutes for my 6 month check up. She was out on unexpected leave last week after a death in the family and while they rearranged most of her appointments with other OB’s, some of us were happy to wait a week until she was free again.
I pack the diaper bag into the stroller and carry her upstairs. She was in need of a diaper change and that’d fill in some time before we saw Effie.
I check in with the nurse at the front desk and tell her I’ll be down in the parent’s room changing Adeline. She smiles at me and tells me I have plenty of time.
We sit in the waiting room together, reading a book. Adeline is fascinated with the colors and shapes of the animals, pointing and cooing at them. I point them out, reading along with the story and she happily listens and follows.
“What a beautiful girl.” The dark-haired lady beside me says smiling. She’s sporting a small belly, most likely newly pregnant and a month or so after me.
“Thank you.” I smile. “I’m incredibly lucky.”
“How old is she?”
“9 months old. She’ll be one when her baby sibling arrives.” I tell her. “What about you, first baby?”
There’s a look of pain that crosses her face. “Second. This is my rainbow baby.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” She assures me. “I was just 21 weeks when he was born. Just over that stage that it isn’t a miscarriage but a stillbirth.”
“How long ago?” I ask.
“It’s been about 14 months since I gave birth to him. I believe things happen in life and the doctors discovered he had a few abnormalities that if I did carry him full time than he probably wouldn’t live for very long after he was born. He probably wouldn’t have opened his eyes. He was probably in a lot of pain too.” She tears up. “Things happen for a reason and I believe he’s gifted us with his baby brother.”
I smile at her and notice her looking at Adeline.
“Would you like to hold Addie?” I ask her. “She loves a cuddle.” I chuckle.
“If that’s ok?”
I nod, hand Adeline over to the lady and Adeline sits happily in her arms.”
“Is Addie short for Addison?”
“Adeline.” I correct her. “Her father and I danced to Sweet Adeline when we first met and when she arrived we just knew it was fitting.”
“You are beautiful Adeline.” She coos. “You’re going to make a great big sister.” She bops Adeline’s nose. “Do you know what you’re having?”
I shake my head. “We want it to be a surprise. I mean, I’m an impatient person but I didn’t find out with Addie and I just loved the anticipation.” I smile. “Everyone thinks it’s another girl but I’m sure it’s a boy.”
“What does your husband want?”
“He doesn’t mind. He’d love another girl.” I tell her. “He’s got three kids from a previous marriage. Two girls and a boy. His son is outnumbered.” I laugh.
She laughs with me. She’s called into her appointment and hands Adeline back to me as she gathers her bag.
“It was nice meeting you…” She begins.
“Katniss.”
“Annie.” She smiles. “We should grab a coffee or lunch one day. I don’t have any Mom friends and I’ve just moved to town in the last few weeks.”
“Of course.” I whip out my phone, get her to input her number and I tell her I’ll send her a message and we can meet up.
She smiles, says goodbye to us and heads on inside for her appointment. I could tell she was nervous and striking up a conversation with a stranger was definitely out of her comfort zone but I know she’ll return to her husband and tell him how she made a friend today. A friend who is a mother and also expecting a baby around the same time.
I send her a message before I forget and organize her to come along to our mother's group meet up on Friday morning at the park if she's free. She'll meet Delly and the other lot of mother's who have welcomed me into their group. Their babies range from age 3 right down to a few weeks old. And it'd be nice for Annie to network with some new Moms. Delly will take her under her wing quickly and go out of her way to welcome her.
I mentally add Annie to the invite for my baby shower too.
Effie calls me in shortly after and I head on inside with Adeline.
She takes Adeline for a cuddle while she chats with me before I get to do the fun things like measurements, peeing in cups and tests. Effie also will check out the baby on the ultrasound, especially with how close my pregnancies have been and she wants to ensure the placenta is fine.
“Please stop growing my dear, Adeline Rose.”
“She’ll be a big sister in the space of 15 weeks.”
Effie frowns. “She’s growing too quickly.”
"I don't know if I've noticed it more because I'm also counting down the pregnancy and in 15 weeks, the baby will be here and Addie will be one."
“I hope you’ve tried to enjoy both.”
"No, I am. It's a bit surreal though."
“I bet it is.” She smiles.
We chat, she answers my few questions I have. I feel like it was just yesterday I was at my 24-week appointment with Adeline. I have a vague idea of what is going on and we move on to the other things.
She gets the baby up on the ultrasound and checks everything out, giving me a look at baby number 2 and printing off a few pictures for Peeta.
“You’ve got Hawaii next week don’t you?”
I nod as she cleans the goo from my belly. “Yes, fly out on Sunday.”
“You nervous for the flight?”
I shake my head. “If she’s not happy, she’s not happy but we’ll do our best to keep her entertained and happy.”
“Try and nurse or give her a bottle when you take off. Helps with the ears and it comforts them from the sudden movements.” She tells me. “And if you’ve got the Ergo take that for her to sleep in, even if Peeta takes her. It’s even handy to travel through the airport with her in the Ergo too, keeps your hands free too."
“Thanks.”
She deems me right to go, wishes us a good trip and I tell her I’ll see her in a few weeks when we’re back. She kisses Adeline goodbye and lets us go.
“Let’s go and see what damage we can do to Daddy’s credit card.” I coo to Adeline and head on down to the car after booking my next appointment. I could walk to the baby store but with a 9-month-old baby and being 25 weeks pregnant and unable to see my own feet, I decided against it.
Peeta and I had a plan for Adeline and Buttons rooms; we’d tackle them once we were back from Hawaii after our babymoon and first vacation as a family. We were just going for ten days to hopefully lay in the sun, swim, explore and spend some time as a family of three before we became a family for four.
When we get back it’ll be full on with the baby shower, preparing Madge for her wedding, baby finalizing, Adeline's first birthday and then the birth of our button. We were hoping to squeeze a trip up to LA to visit Nancy and the family for a few days before the baby came. She had done a quick flyby trip when Adeline was 10 weeks old. She didn't bring any of the kids and had a job to do an hour out of the city. She stayed with us one night before she flew back home and promised me she'd visit again and then invited us up to visit.
They’d hardly been home in the last 6 months with movie shooting, press and spending time with the kids that just before the birth would be the only downtime they had before it started all back up again with awards season looming, the holidays and another movie that Dave was shooting across the country.
The kids had been so excited to meet Adeline and I secretly missed them a lot. I was excited to see their little faces again and hold them. They really lit up the room and I missed their energy. They’d be the perfect ‘cousins’ to Adeline and Button and I wanted them to have a close bond. Even for them to spend holidays and time visiting us when they got older and wanted time away from their parents.
Adeline sleeps in the stroller as we zoom around the aisles of the baby store. I look at clothes, crib sets, toys, strollers and everything else that is stocked in a baby store. Everything that is screaming to be bought. We had so much to upgrade and buy Button that it was a little overwhelming.
Button would sleep in the bassinet in our room. It was the easiest during the first few months, especially adapting to a schedule, feeding on demand and midnight feeds. Once Button was big enough to be moved to the crib, we’d move Adeline to her new bedroom across the hall and maybe to a toddler bed. At this point, she'd be at least 18 months old and possibly ready to upgrade.
If not, we’d sleep one in a portable cot until they were ready to upgrade.
But it could all turn to shit and we could end up with two babies in our bed.
Peeta and I would have to learn to share and accept that alone time would be out the door for quite some time.
And I don’t think we could do three under the age of three. A bit of space might be good in preventing another Button so quickly.
I end up with a basket full of clothes. Most of them discounted and bigger sizes that Adeline could fit into next Summer. A few swimmers that she’d fit now and could wear when we’re in Hawaii. A few Winter clothes as the days are starting to get cool. And new pajamas for the baby.
“How far along are you?” The cashier asks.
I rub my belly unconsciously. “25 weeks.”
“She excited to be a big sister?”
“I don’t think she really understands yet. She will probably when my attention is divided.”
“How close will they be in age?”
“12 months.” I tell her hesitantly, prepared for an earful of advice and disappointment from her over the lack of forethought in our family planning.
“Irish Twins?” She asks with a grin.
“Yeah.”
“I had Irish Twins.” She laughs. “Let’s just say it’s an experience.”
“Really? How old are they?”
“The youngest just started pre-k.” She tells me with a sad smile. “I had two boys. Despite how difficult it was, they love each other so much. They’re so close and it’s been joyful watching them grow up together.”
“You have just the two?”
“No, four. Two girls and two boys. The oldest she’s just started senior year and the second she has just started high school. There was a bit of a gap. Number three was a surprise baby.” She laughs. “And then our anniversary fell three months after his birth and guess what, we ended up with surprise baby number 4.”
I smile at her, look down at Adeline and rub my belly.
“Surprises are always the best blessings.” She tells me as she packs the bags. “The two fit in so well. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.”
“My partner tells me this all the time.” I tell her. “He has three older kids who are grown and starting to figure out their own lives. And he told me when she was born that he felt that missing piece was filled. His kids even tell me that. They always tell me that she is such a gift to the family. And this one is two.”
“I bet she is spoilt by the older siblings?”
“You wouldn’t believe it.” I laugh. “They’ll both be well protected and looked after, I can tell you that.”
Annie texts me when I leave the store.
A – Sounds great. I live just around the corner. I'll see you at 10 am. Do I need to bring anything? Thanks again for being so kind to me Katniss.
“You’ve got her?” I whisper.
Peeta nods at me with a slight smile on his face. Adeline is sound asleep in the Ergo and we’ve just touched down in Hawaii. She’s slept the last half of the flight and has remained asleep, as we’ve touched down. She sleeps in her dad’s arms soundly.
An older couple stop for us, motioning for us to go ahead but we wave them on.
“Go, we can wait.” I tell them with a soft smile.
"She's an angel." The lady tells us looking at Adeline's sleeping pout. She looks so ridiculous she's adorable. She's scowling slightly, cheek resting against her father's chest with her head tilted upwards and her chubby arm across his chest.
“Thank you.”
About a dozen more people depart the plane and we stand to make a move. A hostess helps us take our luggage down from the overhead compartment.
“She was wonderful.”
And she’s right. She happily sat on mine and Peeta’s lap throughout the trip. I nursed her on take-off where she barely made a peep. She happily read books with us, played with toys, went on walks up and down the aisle when I got restless and the baby was moving quite a bit. She shared our lunch and giggled and cooed with the hostesses, happily going with them for a cuddle and a walk.
Then she passed out after another feed and has slept in mine and Peeta’s arms. Both of us taking turns. We put her in the Ergo just before we landed. I’ve found the more I progress in my pregnancy, the harder it is to wear the Ergo on my front with Adeline inside. It was fine when I didn't have much of a bump but the last few weeks I've started to struggle with babywearing. We've gotten Adeline used to ride on my back and she has loved the change of scenery. But loves the front when she's sleepy and it's been a win-win especially for her as she enjoys her dad’s cuddles, especially when she’s sleepy.
It might help when the new baby is here and we’ve got to split our time between both kids.
I take the baby bag we've transfered into a backpack, resting it on my shoulders and Peeta carries our pack on his back.
“Thank you so much for your help.”
She smiles wishes us a great trip and we disembark the plane to head through customs and security before we pick up our bags and find our driver.
I watch Peeta tenderly kiss Adeline’s forehead, inhale her sweet baby smell and feel my heart fill with so much love. I’m so glad he is my children’s father and he turns me on when he is so sweet and tender with Adeline.
It’s probably the reason why we were pregnant again so quickly.
I smile to myself and head through to security.
Adeline wakes as we are waiting for our luggage and she just smiles at us, taking in the sights of the airport and happily waits in the carrier.
We're helped with our luggage, an attendant loading our three suitcases and the stroller onto the trolley and leading us outside to our waiting car. Peeta had organized the whole trip, right down to the fine details of being helped to the car and a car to drive us to the resort.
Peeta thanks the attendant after he loads the trunk with our suitcases. I’ve strapped Adeline into the car seat in the car and Peeta sits and talks to the driver who has actually tasted Mellark’s bakery treats. He’s a little star struck when he realizes who Peeta actually is.
“I think the best thing I had was the cheese buns.” Hani tells us.
I laugh as does Peeta.
"That's Katniss' favorite." Peeta tells him. "We like to say it's not a baby bump but a cheese bun belly."
The driver laughs and tells Peeta some good places to eat around where we are staying.
Peeta has booked him for a few days to take us around to the sights and back to the airport in 10 days. Peeta asks his questions, they swap favorite dishes and bakery treats and talk about family.
“How old is the little one?”
“Addie is 9 months. She’ll be a big sister in just over 3 months.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“We don’t.” Peeta tells him. “We want it to be a surprise.”
“Whatever it is, the baby will bring great joy.” Hani smiles. “I love my three so much and wouldn’t change it for the world.”
We arrive at our hotel. Hani jumps out of the car to help with our bags while I get Adeline out of the car seat and into my arms. There are a few families pulling in and heading in to check in.
There is hotel staff waiting to place beautiful colored leis over our necks, welcoming us to the country. A bellboy has come out to greet us, helping Peeta and Hani load our luggage onto the trolley. Hani cuddles Adeline quickly, dancing around with her to the music that sounds in the open aired lobby. Adeline giggles and smiles with Hani and he beams a big toothy-grinned smile, throwing his head back and laughing in delight.
He takes her to the ladies waiting with the leis, letting them place one over her neck and fussing over her, pinching her cheeks and tickling her. She’s in hysterics and I’m glad the long trip hasn’t affected her. Peeta and I get leis put over our necks and welcomed and congratulated on a beautiful girl.
They even place their hands on my stomach and wish me a good pregnancy, telling me I’ll be blessed with another beautiful giggly baby.
I thank them and take Adeline from Hani. He was due back for another pickup and the longer he danced and played with our daughter, the later he'd be in picking up his next transfer.
“I’ll see you both in two days. I’ve got a special surprise for you both.”
“Thanks, Hani.” Peeta tips him and tells him we’ll see him later.
We’re lead to our room, the bellboy loading our luggage into our room and Peeta thanks him.
Adeline and I check out our suite and I’m ready to spend the next week here.
"Peeta, they've forgotten Addie's cot." I tell him, coming out of the bedroom. We've got a mini suite with a separate living area to our bedroom. The living area steps off into our own private balcony with 270-degree view of the ocean.
“I’ll call reception.” He tells me.
Within 5 minutes, a staff member has brought a port-a-cot to our room, setting it up in a matter of seconds and quickly dressing the mattress.
“Thank you so much.” Peeta says to him. A highchair has been brought to us as well.
“I wasn’t in a rush.” I tell Peeta. “But this service is amazing.”
He smiles, kisses me and we go out to the balcony admiring the view.
"I could get used to this." He smiles.
“Me too but I love our house.”
"Are you sure? Cause if you really want to find something that you like then we can."
I shake my head, silencing him. “I love our house. We have a big yard, plenty of space for our families, it’s decorated how I imagined my house would look. It’s home. I don’t feel like it’s just a house. It’s home. It’s our home. I want our kids to grow up there. We have room for a cubby house, maybe some chooks or a pool.”
He smiles. “I’ll see what I can do. Might give Nolan a job to do next summer.”
“There’s no rush.”
“What do you think about getting a dog too? The kids had a few growing up and it was nice seeing the bond there.”
“Would it be too much taking on a dog before a new baby?”
"I'll source some rescue organizations." He tells me. "Leave it up to me."
“Ok.”
“Let’s go for a swim.”
He's determined to capture our holiday, creating a short little family video. One of his workers studies film and has taught Peeta a few tricks, especially when he showed an interest in documenting Adeline's everyday life. And the few things he's learned and the mini videos he's created are breathtakingly beautiful. I've found myself crying watching these perfectly captured clips of my daughter and her life so far. There have also been sweet moments of Adeline and I tenderly embracing before bed, the two of us sleeping together or just everyday moments like my singing to her, playing, feeding her and dancing. Just everyday moments that I'm thankful I'll have to remember.
I change into my bikini. I’m a little self-conscious but I’m far too proud of my bump and know Peeta loves seeing it on display. The sun is warm too and I know my bump and I could do with a little bit of sunshine.
He finds me in the bedroom, touching my belly and comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the back of my neck.
"You're so beautiful." He whispers. "Hi, little one."
The baby gives him a little kick and he smiles, kissing my neck again and going to grab Adeline.
I carry her down with the big beach bag and Peeta has his camera gear all ready. Its almost mid-afternoon and we'd only get a bit of sunshine and water before we’d head off for dinner and to bed.
We swim, wading in the shallow water of the bay. The water rushes over Adeline's legs and body and she squeals at the coolness and feel.
She’s happy. And I’m happy. Peeta is also smiling and I know he’s secretly filming us but I don’t mind, you can’t notice him and I enjoy the time with Adeline. He’ll join us when he’s ready and I’ll do my best to film precious moments like he’s taught me.
He joins us in the water, splashing Adeline and eventually taking her further out on his hip. The bay is calm and quiet and many kids enjoy the calmness of the water playing games of tag, swimming races and swimming with snorkels on trying to spot crabs or shells that have managed to get into the bay.
“Where’s Mommy?” Peeta asks Adeline. “Where is she?”
Adeline looks around for me and spots me, smiling at me from a distance.
“Let’s go see Mommy.” He whispers to her, kissing her cheek.
She’s a determined thing and steps to me with Peeta’s help. They’re jolty and wobbly but she loves the feeling of almost independence and is so proud of her new trick.
I hold my arms out for her and she falls into them and I cover her face with kisses. Peeta leans down to kiss me and sits beside us. Adeline roots for a feed and I adjust her to a comfortable position around my belly, letting her sit on my lap and nurse as the water gently laps at us. Peeta is off again with the camera and I just place kisses on top of Adeline’s head and watch the world go by.
We gorge ourselves with a beautiful fresh seafood buffet dinner and head on back to our room. I get into the shower with Adeline, washing the salt from our bodies and wrap us both up in a fluffy white towel and join Peeta out in the bedroom. He’s Skyping Camille by the sounds of it and I pass him, Adeline, while I reach for my robe.
“Hi, my beach baby.” Camille greets her sister. “You look like you’re having fun.”
Adeline points at the screen, smiling at her sister.
“Say Hi, Addie.” Peeta coos. “Is that your Cami?”
Adeline tries touching the screen and gets frustrated when she can't physically touch her sister.
“I’ll see you in a few days beautiful.”
They end the call, Peeta telling her to ring if anything is wrong. He gets Adeline dressed in her sleeping bag with just her diaper on underneath and they read a couple of books together before he hands her to me to nurse and put to bed.
“How’s Camille going?” I ask him.
He shrugs his shoulders. “She’s doing Ok. She went out last night, dragged out by her friends to try and have some fun but she bailed early and went home and watched romantic comedies.”
“She’ll find her feet soon. She’s a social butterfly.” I tell him.
“She’s just not so sure. She thought he was the one.” He says.
"He was an arsehole and despite how much pain he has caused her, she'll realize it was for the best. She's still young and plenty of time to meet the one."
“I just want the best for my kids.”
"I know you do. You just have to let them learn and grow and make the mistakes adults make and find out who they really are." I tell him. "Besides, you have a 9-month-old and a baby on the way who you can baby while the other three learn who they are in this big world."
He kisses my cheek. “I’m so glad I found you.”
“Me too.” I smile. “Camille should just focus on the business, getting that to a success and going from there.”
…
He drags me away for the day. A baby free day. Adeline has happily gone with a Nanny and ready for a big adventure day following the kids club and most likely being spoilt by the hotel staff.
Hani picks us up from the hotel and drives us out to a small heliport base.
“You’re not making me jump out of a plan?” I ask him.
“No, I wouldn’t put that type of danger onto you and Button.” He tells me. “We’re going to take a ride.”
Hani tells Peeta he’ll see him later and we head on into the building where a pilot greets us and we’re taken through to the base. We climb into our helicopter, placing the headphones on and Peeta pulls out the camera ready to record our trip and maybe my reaction.
We are flown around the Island, the pilot pointing out certain points of attraction while giving us a brief history of certain places. We get a view of the volcanos, ridges, valleys, and waterfalls.
We make a landing on a clearing near a cliff that overlooks the ocean and we climb out, Peeta reaching into the front for a picnic basket and blanket and the pilot tells us he’ll see us in about 2 hours.
We step away; watching the helicopter take off and Peeta takes my hand leading me to a clearing. He lays out the blanket and we go to the cliff to overlook the water. The water looks crystal clear with beautiful views that stretch forever.
“This is beautiful, how’d you arrange it?” I ask him.
He smiles and we sit down. He unpacks the basket and tells me how he had contacted many operators, spoke to a lot of locals and read a story online telling him about this beautiful clearing that overlooks the water that not many people know about. The pilot does this trip about three times a year and limits it to that because the more people knew, the more the beauty would be taken away with tourists flocking.
We eat our lunch, pick at the selection of cheeses and non-alcoholic wine. Eat fresh fruit and listen to some music while we chat. We don’t talk kids, family or work, more about ourselves, how we’re feeling, wishes for the future, travel plans and any else we can come up with.
I lie against his chest and hardly move. The waves rolling and crashing against the rocks lull me slightly and I’m content to just remaining there for the rest of the afternoon.
“Would you want to get married?” He asks me. He asked me this months ago. Months before when we had just moved in together. When he found out I delivered his baby. When it was all new and fresh and we were slowly coming together.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. We've done this whole thing back to front." I chuckle. He laughs too. "Would you want to?"
"I've learned that marriage doesn't make everyone happy. That it doesn't suit everyone." He sighs. "I have friends who have been together for years and never married and they're happier than my married friends. A piece of paper doesn't mean a lot these days." He says. "I just wanted to know if your thoughts had changed since we last spoke."
“I’m happy. We’ve got a beautiful daughter and a baby on the way. We’re happy. I wouldn’t mind what we do. Marriage or not.”
“Me too.” He smiles against my shoulder. “We’re happy.”
I turn to face him, smiling at him over my shoulder and we share a brief kiss before we turn our attention back to the water. The baby kicks and together with linked hands, we feel the kicks of our impending arrival.
We spend the rest of the trip sightseeing, shopping, swimming and exploring the island. Hani takes us to some spectacular spots where Peeta gets his camera and drone out. Adeline and I do our own exploring at the sights while Peeta films us. Adeline is amazed at the new landscape and watches with eyes wide open. We let her feel the earth and crawl around, getting herself acquainted with nature.
I hoped she’d be just like me and loved the outdoors. The few trails we had done during Sunday mornings in Spring and early Summer were successful. She loved every moment as she rode in the carrier and I hoped once her sibling was here and the weather warmed up again we'd be able to do the same, trails on a Sunday morning with both kids in tow. Adeline could ride on her father’s back and I could carry the baby on my chest.
At the end of the trip, Peeta and I have one last date night. We put Adeline down and a Nanny comes to sit in and watch the monitor.
We sit outside with the sea breeze whipping at us and eat way too much food and watch the fire show.
“I’m so glad we decided to come here.” I tell him.
“I’m glad we did too. It’s been nice relaxing and just being a family of three.”
“How do you think Addie will react when the baby comes?”
“I don’t know.” He says. “I’m a bit worried.”
“Me too.” I frown. “What if she hates the baby?”
“She won’t. She might just not like it for a little while but they’ll be thick as thieves.” He laughs. “They’ll be into mischief together all the time. They will definitely be keeping us on our toes but it’ll be worth it.”
“It’s going so quickly.” I note, touching my belly.
“We’ve just got to enjoy the days with Addie as a single child, enjoy the pregnancy and slowly prepare for the baby. We’ll try our best to make Addie feel like she hasn’t been pushed aside when the baby comes as well.”
I nod. “I just think we do our best to maintain our usual routine, make Addie seem like nothing has changed too much and we squeeze another member into our family.”
“We’ll be fine. I’ve done it with my kids and they survived. We didn’t do much, just kept a normal routine, invited the older child to help out with their baby sibling and feel special. Lot’s of hugs and kisses too. We’ll be fine, Katniss. We’ve got this. We’re going to nail this parenting two babies thing.”
“Are we mad?” I ask him laughing.
“No way.” He chuckles.
We go back to the room, Peeta walking the Nanny to the door and I go and change into my pajamas and then watch Adeline sleep. She must sense I'm watching her and she wakes, smiling at me and saying ‘Mama'.
I reach into her cot, lift her out and carry her to the bed. She happily cuddles into me, nursing and I just relish in her cuddles and inhale that faint baby smell I will never get over and hold her in my arms.
She’ll always be my baby, even when she becomes a big sister and outgrows my lap and doesn’t need me. I’d always remember these moments and times when it just felt like time stopped and I enabled me to cherish these small moments I’d hold near and dear for the rest of my life.
Peeta slides in behind Adeline, kissing the top of her head and the three of us embrace for the whole night as the days were limited to when it won’t just be the three of us.
“I can’t wait until there’s four in the bed.” He whispers.
“There technically is.” I giggle quietly.
“I mean, physically to hold.” He smiles.
He reaches out, pushes a strand of hair behind my ear as Adeline still nurses. "It'll be here before we realize."
He smiles, happiness beaming out of his body. “We’ll be a family of four soon, real or not real?” He asks, reaching out to touch my belly.
“Real.” I echo in the darkness of the night.