Finding the Missing Piece: Book 4

Chapter Seventy-Four

Katniss POV- (Middle of the night)

"Peeta?" I say.

He doesn't respond but I need an answer.

"Peeta, wake up."

He's awake in seconds, "Katniss, what's wrong?" He asks out of breath, frantically looking about the room.

"I'm fine. I just need to ask you something." I say.

"Goodness. Don't scare me like that, Katniss. What is it?" Peeta asks.

I hold my breath for a second and turn to him in the dark.

"I want you to be honest, just say 'yes' or 'no.' Do you really regret us getting pregnant?" I ask him.

He stays quiet a really long time before speaking up.

"No." Peeta says.

"Okay." I say softly.

He sighs deeply, "It's not that I don't love her already but I think we should've waited until you were ready. I regret asking so much but then again, I don't because we're having a baby and that's what I've always wanted. I think the only thing I regret isn't being there for you two when I should've." He explains.

I stare out the open window, the one that brings a chilled breeze into our bedroom.

"I think the only thing I regret about this all is how I've acted. Even though I wish it were under better circumstances, I know we wouldn't have her if she wasn't meant to be in our lives." He says.

I nod my head, not saying anything else or looking at him.

"I didn't mean for what I said earlier to come off the way it did. I don't ever want there to be a second that you think I don't want you or Willow, because that's all I've ever wanted in life." He tells me.

I break the stare and look at him.

"Can we just try to make this all better? Forget what we've done to each other in the past and just live for today and for her?" I ask him.

"Of course."

"I don't want there to be any mention of Prim or my father or your family. It just makes things more complicated." I start.

"Okay." Peeta says, nodding his sleepy, messy haired head.

I look him in the eyes, "I want a fresh start. U want to forget anything that's happened. Forget everything. I want us now, again. Just us three." I tell him.

He nods his head, "We still have friends though."

"Who knows after today." I sigh, remembering the fight Peeta, Bristol and I are currently in and wondering how that's going to turn out.

"We need to drop it and move on." Peeta mumbles softly.

I hate that he says 'we' because it's really just 'me' who made Bristol so mad.

"I don't want to lose them."

"We won't and I don't want us to lose them over something so silly either."

"Don't laugh at me but I want you to make me a deal."

"Um, okay."

"Promise me that no matter what, you're going to try to truly be happy from here on." I start.

"Katniss-"

"No, just listen." I say.

He nods and I go on, "Let everything go. Everything I've said or done that's hurt you, let it go. I'll do the same for you. There's a fresh clean start. We can only talk about good things in the past. The good things we've done and said."