Pregnant In the Quell

Chapter Forty Two

The smell of fresh cinnamon buns and cake fills the house, making my mouth water as I awake.

The door is wide open, and the window is cracked. They cool, spring air blows through the window, making a smile creep across my face.

I hear footsteps from the stairs, all scrambling towards the bedroom. As soon as the triplets enter Peeta and I's room, they tackle me, squealing and jumping on the bed.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Aster and Jay scream as Aster gives me a big hug.

"Yeah! Happy Birthday!" Raine says, laughing at her lateness. I chuckle.

"Thank you so much, you three!" I say. They all topple over me and I embrace them in a huge hug.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Aster says as she jumps off of the bed, running around the room. "Daddy says that we're going to the meadow today!"

"Hey, I told you that it was supposed to be a surprise!" Peeta says, engulfing Aster in a hug and spinning her around. He sets her down, crawling into bed next to me.

"Happy Birthday, beautiful." He whispers, kissing me softly on the lips.

"Ew!" Jay says in disgust as he covers his eyes. I pull away from Peeta with a smile, and he hugs me tightly.

"Thank you." I murmur. "I'm sure this day will be so special."

"I intend to make it very special, actually. Trust me, this birthday will be your favorite ever."

I chuckle, wrapping my arms around Peeta. The triplets crawl into bed next to us, and I let them in on the hug too.

"I love you four so much." I say, holding the triplets close to me. I wish they'd stay this small forever.

"Alright, who's ready for breakfast?" Peeta asks, and the triplets squeal and run down stairs.

I laugh as I watch them scramble out of the room. Peeta helps me out of bed, kissing me once more. "Tonight, you're going to get a lot more than just a kiss." He whispers, smirking.

"Peeta Mellark!" I say, hitting him playfully on the arm. "You know, I've been waiting for you to say that all morning." I whisper, leaning up to him and kissing his neck softly. He laughs, bringing me into a hug once again and holding me tightly.

"I love you so much, Katniss Mellark. You will never understand the amount of love in my heart for you. You're my whole world."

"I love you, Peeta Mellark." I reply, burying my head into his chest as he strokes my hair. "More than anyone on this earth."

+++

"Do you like the cinnamon buns, Mama?" Aster asks, pointing to the one on my plate. I smile, taking another bite of it.

"They're delicious, sweetie." I say, nodding to her. "Did you help Daddy make them?"

"We all did, Mommy!" Raine chimes in as she wraps her arms around Aster and Jay. "We worked as a team with Daddy to make them."

"Oh did you now?" I ask, eyeing Peeta up. His face shows pure happiness as he listens to our conversation.

"They did." Peeta nods, taking our plates off of the table. "Are you all done?"

"Yes!" The triplets say in unison. They run off to play with their toys in the living room, leaving Peeta and I to clean the dishes.

"Here, I got it." I say, grabbing a rag.

"No, no!" Peeta says, taking it from me. "You go relax, play with the kids. It's your birthday. For the whole day, I will be your servant." He smiles.

"Hmm." I whisper into his ear. "What kind of service will you be of to me?" I ask, nipping at his ear. 

"Any kind you want, Mrs. Mellark." He replies, kissing my temple. "Now, go have fun with your children."

I smile, dragging my hand down his back as I walk away, to meet my children in the living room.

"What are you three doing?" I ask, but I'm quickly shunned by Jay, stopping in front of me.

"We're making cards for you, Mommy! You can't see!" He says, pushing me back into the kitchen.

"Okay, okay!" I laugh. "Peeta, I think I'm going to go for a quick walk; get some fresh air. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, but don't be long." He says as I walk out the door. "We're going to the meadow!"

The rush of air is a refresher for me, as I walk down the street. I can't help but smile to myself, thinking of Peeta and the children this morning. So loving and kind. Not that they're not like that every day, but I love it so much.

"Catnip!" I hear a voice from behind me. I turn, to see Gale in front of me, holding a box in his hands.

"Hey!" I say, embracing him in a hug. "What are you doing?"

"Actually," he chuckles. "I was on my way to give you this." He hands me the box, wrapped in decorative paper with a bow on the top. "I wanted to give you a birthday present."

"You remembered?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I can't believe it. Gale and I haven't been close at all these past few years. I don't think we've spoken in over a year. We grew apart. He, Cressida, and Posy moved to the other side of district 12. Cressida and I were never the best of friends, so I never felt a reason to stay in touch.

"Of course I remembered." He whispers, patting me on the back. "You've been my best friend my whole life."

I smile, nodding. "You came all the way to the other side of district 12 to give me a present?"

"Actually, Cressida and I bought a house in the seam. They built some large houses there, so I thought it might be time to come back... Especially after the twins were born, and now Cressida is pregnant again..."

I cut him off. "Wait, you had twins?" I ask, laughing. "I guess I'm not the only woman that only carries multiples. And Cressida is pregnant? Wow! A lot can happen in a few years."

"Yeah." He smiles. "Hunter and Beau are our twin boys." He pulls a picture out of his pocket. "They're identical, and are already trying to hunt." He chuckles and shakes his head. "We have a girl on the way. We're calling her Oakley."

"That's adorable, Gale! I'm so happy for the two of you. I'm sorry we didn't stay in touch."

"We can now." He says with a grin. I look back towards victors village, knowing I should get home to Peeta and the kids.

"Hey, do you want to come to dinner tomorrow?" I ask, smiling. "I'd love to meet Hunter and Beau, and I know that the triplets would love to see you."

"That'd be great."

"Okay, see you then!" I say, hugging him again.

"Happy Birthday, Catnip." He murmurs.

+++

I watch as Peeta and the triplets run around in the meadow, dancing and singing. Jay has to steady himself to keep from falling over in laughter, and the girls make flower crowns with Peeta's help.

I sit on our blanket set out, leaning on the back of a willow tree and watch in awe. I couldn't ask for a better family, or a better life.

I know that this has been the best birthday of my life, because I have my husband and three beautiful children to spend it with.