A/N Happy Football Day! It's both happy and sad, because of course, football! but sad because college is already done and awaiting the bowl games. Le sigh. Why is the season so short? Anyway, my Noles made the playoffs despite themselves and the hatred of much of the football world. Ohio State did the expected and leapfrogged TCU and Baylor. I felt really bad for those teams. TCU got moved into 3rd more to punish FSU for winning ugly than to reward their play, I think, and then when the Noles had the audacity to win, along with OSU kicking the shit out of Wisconsin, they committee was stuck. That's my theory anyway. My dad and bro are OSU grads, so the family is well represented in the playoffs! Could be fun, if we're not both one and done. haha We shall see!

In fantasy news, my 8th ranked Pey-a-Ton of Benjamins got into the playoffs and DEFEATED the #1 seed! Thank you, LeVeon Bell, Julio Jones and the Rams D! They did this, btw, with Peyton Manning pulling in 2 points. 2! I was beyond shocked, but thrilled. Most of my other teams kickoff their playoff run today, so we'll see how it goes!

Okay, lots of reviews last week with a certain theory...let's see if you were right. More below!

Getting Blitzed Chapter 15

"It's about damn time." My brother practically sprinted into the dining room as we walked down the stairs. "I mean, really, your entire family is here starving to death. Can't you keep it in your pants until later like a civilized person?"

"Look who's talking, douche. Who kept us all waiting the day of my high school graduation because you were getting-"

"La la la, I can't hear you! Come along, Rosie, it's time for dinner. Finally."

Blondie stopped in the doorway. "I think I'd like to hear this story."

"You may, but I'm not sure I want to," my mother said, shaking her head.

"I want to," Dad interjected, looking hopeful.

Mom sighed while Emmett sent me a death glare. "Everybody take your seats."

"You can sit by me, Edward!" Jasper patted the chair next to him, like I was a fucking dog getting ready to obey.

I started to head to the other side, but Shorty took the seat I was aiming for, and the only spot with two seats open was Jasper's. Of fucking course.

I knew better than to suggest that Reed Girl take the seat. Plus, my mother was motioning her over, looking eager as hell. Wedding talk was about to commence, I could fucking sense that shit already. And I'd rather have my girl dealing with that than me.

Two hours. I repeated that to myself as I slipped into the seat. Jasper was fucking glowing, looking almost as happy as Reed Girl had when I'd fucked her senseless.

Mom served up everybody, and just as I took my first bite of awesome lasagna, she turned to us. "So, are we ready to set a date?"

Damn, could I even get a little food in my stomach before she started in on wedding shit?

"Uhh…" I glanced at Reed Girl, who looked a little pale. She reached for her water glass and took a big gulp. Guess she was leaving it to me. "We haven't really had time…"

"You only have time if you make it," she scolded us. "Now, as requested, I've added a new subheading to the book for destination weddings." And damned if she didn't whip that fucking book of hers out from under her chair. What the fuck? Where had that been hidden?

"I get to be best man! Right, Edward?" Jasper was practically tugging on my sleeve he was so fucking excited.

"Fuck, I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

My mom glared at me. "Language!"

"I'm his best man. I'm in charge of the bachelor party," my brother informed us around a mouthful of garlic bread.

"You don't get to talk about wedding planning since you planned yours on the back of a cocktail napkin in Vegas," Mom told him with a raised eyebrow. Then she turned back to us and smiled. "We can fine tune those details later. Right now, we really need a venue and a date."

"You're going to be mine," Jasper said sulkily.

What the fuck? "I'm not going to be yours. I'm Reed Girl's."

His brow furrowed. "You can't be Reed Girl's best man. You're marrying her."

Oh, fucking hell. "I thought you meant…never mind what I thought you meant."

Reed Girl giggled next to me.

I poked her. "You could help out here."

She shrugged. "I don't know what your schedule is next year, or mine for that matter. I think we should pick a date after we know those things."

"But that's not until January!" Mom sounded scandalized. "How can we possibly plan a wedding in a few months' time?"

"How hard could it be? We make reservations, fly wherever, Bella gets a dress, we eat. Seems pretty easy to me," I said. All the women at the table shot me incredulous looks. "What?"

"Spoken like a man," Shorty told us with a shake of her head. "Jasper and I aren't getting married until May second, 2016, but I've already got the venue set, my dress picked out, and their dresses picked out." She pointed to Reed Girl and Blondie. "I've got a ton of websites marked with bouquets and wedding cakes, and I've emailed about thirty photographers for information."

That was fucking insane. "You've got two years, and you've done all that shit?"

"Wife is very organized," Jasper informed us.

"Okay, and what have you contributed to all this planning?" Clearly he hadn't done shit. Shorty probably wouldn't let him. Women planned the weddings. Guys showed up. Everybody knew this.

"I'm in charge of the playlist for the reception. I'm finding meaningful songs. Plus, I'm writing a poem." Of fucking course he was.

"You're letting him read one of his ridiculous poems at your wedding?"

"Well, really, it's his vows, but if he wants to do it in poetic form, I'm okay with that." Shorty blew Jasper a kiss, which he returned with a bright grin. "And he's helping with the flowers. Jaspy has a very artistic soul."

Artistic soul my ass. I'd heard his poems.

"Roses are red, violets are blue. Today we wed and say I do," Jasper blurted out. "That's what I have so far." Unbelievable.

Shorty clapped her hands. "Jaspy! I love it!"

I turned to Reed Girl. "You don't want poem vows, do you?"

She shook her head. "No, I think we can stick to traditional. I can't trust that you won't slip an F bomb into your vows otherwise."

That was probably true. "That should be part of the vows, though." I waggled my eyebrows at Reed Girl, making her chuckle.

"Absolutely not." My mom pointed a warning finger at me.

"I can work it into mine, I bet. There are a lot of words that rhyme with that," Jasper suggested, making everyone but my mother and Shorty laugh.

"Jaspy! My parents will be there!"

"They love me," he pointed out, which was shockingly true. I wasn't sure why, but Shorty's parents were thrilled that she and Jasper were getting married.

"Well, they won't like you if you use that in our vows, trust me!"

"Okay."

"How did this become about their wedding instead of yours?" Mom demanded, banging the table.

I didn't have the answer to that, but I kind of liked it. "Because they have their shit together and we don't. Then again, Shorty's been planning her wedding since birth."

"It's true," Jasper agreed. "She has magazine pictures that aren't even in style anymore."

"What's old is new again, Jaspy," Shorty told him with a glare.

"I wasn't criticizing, Wife. I love it. I need your guidance."

She melted at that one. "And I need you, Jaspy."

Lord. I pushed my plate away. Reed Girl did the same. "Dinner was great, Mom. We're gonna go upstairs and look at your special book and try to hammer out some details on our own, okay?"

Emmett snorted. "Sure you are."

"I don't think you'll find your location in Bella's discarded clothes, but you can sure try," Blondie suggested.

I flipped them off before scooping up the wedding bible that now weighed another five pounds. "We will, I promise."

"Thanks for dinner, Esme," Reed Girl told her with a smile. "It was delicious."

"Are you sure you had enough, dear? You barely ate."

Reed Girl chuckled. "I overdid it with the cookies." She slid her hand into mine. "We can talk more about it tomorrow. Edward has to be up bright and early."

"What time do we have to leave?" Jasper asked, practically bouncing in his seat in excitement.

"Seven," I told him, expecting an argument but not getting one.

We said our goodnights and headed upstairs. I tossed the wedding book on my bed, surprised when the bed springs didn't break under the weight of it.

"Do we really have to look at that now?" my girl asked, eying it like it was a live bomb.

"Fuck, no. What's she going to do if we don't have an answer tomorrow?" I shoved the thing off the bed, and it made a loud-ass thump when it hit the floor.

"Sure, you can run to practice and leave me with the inquisition."

I cupped her face in my hands. "Do you need me to tell her to back off, baby? She's excited and she doesn't have a daughter, plus Emmett already got married, so she's going overboard with us. I can tell her to back off."

She sighed. "It's not like my mom is all into wedding planning. It's just that there's so much we don't know yet. It's hard to plan right now."

"You want to marry me?"

"Of course!"

"Then that's all that matters. We pick a time and a place, and she'll get off our backs. Take her dress shopping or something tomorrow. That will make her happy as hell."

"Maybe." She wrapped her arms around me. "Wedding talk is stressful."

"It's a good thing I know how to de-stress you." I scooped her up and placed her on the bed. "How about I get to work on that?"

She grinned up at me. "How about you do?"

"My pleasure, baby. And yours, of course."

It took no time at all to drive the wedding out of her mind. I was good like that.

Xoxoxoxox

The last thing I wanted to do at six a.m. was get up, but when my alarm went off, I made myself sit up. I glanced over to see if it had awakened Reed Girl, but she wasn't in bed with me. What the fuck?

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" She came out of the bathroom, dressed in the sexy purple nightie she'd slipped on for me the night before.

"What are you doing up so early?" I asked as she slid back into bed.

"Had to go to the bathroom," she mumbled.

"And brush your teeth?" I asked when the minty smell hit me.

"Uh-huh." She buried her head underneath the pillow, so I didn't bother questioning her any further. My girl liked her sleep.

I got up and got around, going downstairs to find Jasper bouncing off the walls.

"Is it different from college practices?" he asked as I drove toward the hotel.

"Not really. We spend more hours studying film, but practice is mostly the same. A bit harder, I guess."

"Cool. Thanks for bringing me with you."

"You want to know what's in store for you if you get drafted?"

He shrugged. "I don't know if I will. I might be a late rounder, they're saying? Maybe if I come back for another year. But Wife wants to graduate together and get out of school."

I glanced at him, surprised. "You're good enough to make a team."

He grinned at that. "That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

It probably was. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late." He fired off a text on his phone. "I tweeted that."

I rolled my eyes. "Good for you."

"Anyway, I can make a team, but can I start? Not likely. Not my first year, for sure. I'm not as good as you are."

Well, that went without saying. "You could get close, with some work. Besides, you might end up someone's backup, but you're only an injury or a benching away from being a starter."

"Maybe. It's not my passion like it is yours."

This was news to me. "What is your passion?"

"Besides Ali?" I snorted at that. "I'll have my Psych degree. I'd like to go on and get a master's."

I often forgot that Jasper had a decent brain in his head, when it wasn't fried. "A master's in Psychology? Do you want to be a doctor?"

"Maybe. You don't need a medical degree to be a psychologist. Or I may go into counseling."

Jasper helping people. I had a hard time imagining that.

"Why?"

"Because I like people. I like getting to know what makes them tick. And I get people. I get you."

"You will never get me."

He laughed at that. "Who helped you when you were falling for Reed Girl?"

"You were barely coherent then."

"But I still helped. And now I am coherent. Imagine how much better I can be."

I wasn't arguing with his nonsense. We got to the hotel in time and took the team bus over to the practice field.

Sammy came jogging up to us. "Cullen! And hey, you're Jasper. How are you doing, man?"

Jasper shot him a tight smile but shook his hand. "I'm good. How are you?"

"Great, thanks. So Edward brought you to show you how the pros get it done, huh?"

"Something like that," he muttered.

"Well, when you get done with the boring quarterback meetings, come find me. I'll show you how the most exciting players work out."

"Edward's the most exciting," Jasper announced loudly.

Fucking hell. I winced when several of my teammates snickered.

"Goes without saying. We'll find you," I assured him, dragging Jasper over to where my quarterbacks' coach was waiting.

Jasper actually held his own during the game film breakdown. He'd learned what to look for and made some suggestions that we were able to implement into our own gameplan.

"That was so much fun!" he exclaimed when we came out of the meeting room.

I had to laugh at his ass. "If you enjoy it so much, why do you always ask for my advice before your games?"

"Because I like watching your tape." Of fucking course he did. "You're the best."

Well, fuck, that was flattering. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me. That's what best friends are for."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, but thankfully I was saved when Sammy and Paul came jogging up to me.

"How was it?" Sammy asked, slapping a football into my hands.

"Not bad." I glanced at Jasper. "He found a flaw in their secondary that I think we can totally exploit. Hendricks keeps his feet going a second too long on his backpedal. If you juke him, you should be able to blow right by him."

"Nice," Paul said, giving Jasper a high five.

"Yeah, thanks, dude." Sammy held out his hand, but Jasper just sent him a nod and that same damn smile he'd given him earlier.

Sammy raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. Who knew what the fuck his issue was? I never wasted time trying to figure out Jasper. He was just too damn weird.

"So, are you gonna invite us over to hang with the family tonight?" Sammy asked me. "I could use some of Mom's home cooking!"

"She's not your mother," Jasper hissed before I could respond.

Paul shook his head and immediately jogged away from whatever drama was about to be unleashed.

"A fact with which I'm well aware, trust me," Sammy said, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I just call her Mom because she sends us all cookies through Edward. We love her."

"She doesn't send me a care package," Jasper muttered, looking more than a little put out.

"Um, why would she?" I asked, despite myself.

"I don't know. It would just be nice."

Paul shifted his feet. "Right. So, Jasper, did Edward tell you about Rainbow's latest antics? She really took care of Heidi. It was so-"

"Nobody has to tell me what Rainbow does. I know Rainbow," Jasper interrupted, glaring at Sammy.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?" I asked, because damn. He was acting like a pissy bitch for some odd reason.

"I don't have a problem. He has the problem." Jasper pointed at Sammy, who blinked in surprise.

"Me? What did I do? I don't have a problem."

"Yes. You're trying to steal my best friend, and I don't like it. That's the problem."

Fucking hell. Jasper was nose to nose with Sammy, who was looking at me for advice on how to handle the situation.

"Jasper, get out of his face. Nobody is trying to steal me."

"Yes, he is. You're with him every single day."

"He's my teammate. Of course I see him every day."

"But you hang out together all the time! And he's trying to tell me all about you and Rainbow. I've known you since the beginning! Before even Reed Girl. He doesn't get to replace me."

"I'm just gonna go," Sammy told us, backing away from the crazy, ranting idiot next to me.

Christ. What the fuck was I supposed to do with this nonsense?

"What brought that on?" I asked, knowing that I only had a few minutes to deal with whatever the shit was before I had to get back to practice.

"He keeps rubbing your friendship in my face."

"Um, no, he doesn't. Sammy's just trying to be nice and include you."

Glittering blue eyes met mine. "Because I'm not part of your life anymore?"

"Of course you are." Kill me now. "Just because I don't see you much doesn't mean that you're being replaced. I still call and text, don't I?"

He shrugged. "I guess. But it's not the same. You guys get to hang out and have fun all the time. It sucks."

"What, am I supposed to not have friends on my team? How fucked up would that be?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you're supposed to have friends."

Well then?

"Not best friends, though."

Christ. He was such a fucking girl sometimes. "Sammy's not my best friend." He was on the team, but I surely wasn't about to say that and have him pitch a fucking fit. "You are, I guess."

"I am?" He started to smile, and before I could evade, threw his arms around me. "For real?"

Fuck this noise. I quickly broke his hold and stepped back. "You are if you don't fucking hug me in public ever again."

He frowned at that. "I don't know if I can agree to that. I'm very affectionate. Wife can tell you-"

"Wife can tell me nothing about that. No hugs in front of the team. No exceptions."

"What about when you win the Super Bowl? Can I hug you in front of them then?" he asked, looking perfectly serious except for a slight twitching of his lips.

I didn't have time for this shit. "Fine."

"Okay. Deal." He held out his hand, and I shook it, keeping myself poised to run if he went for the hug again.

"Now, will you stop acting like a pussy in front of my teammates? They're going to think you're my fucking girlfriend or something."

"I'll be cool."

I shot him a disbelieving look.

"What? I can be. I'll even throw Sammy some passes to help him warm up for you. That should be okay, right?"

"Fine. Whatever."

Jasper took the ball from me and let it fly, right past Sammy's head, who of course wasn't looking for it.

"Sorry!" Jasper called. "My bad!"

"Dude, not cool. I need him to be healthy tomorrow. You missed him by an inch."

"And we both know if I was aiming for his head, I would have hit him. It's all good. I'll play nice with your lesser friends."

"Did you say loser?" I demanded. Nobody was going to fuck with my teammates in my earshot. Nobody.

"I said lesser. As in less than me on the friendship hierarchy. There's me, and then there's everyone else."

Freak. "Reed Girl is always number one."

He tilted his head and thought about that for a few seconds. "Okay, that's acceptable."

"Good. Now can I get ready for my game?"

He beamed at me. "Absolutely! I can't wait to see you win!"

"Just remember. No hugs." I'd be reiterating that shit at every opportunity.

"No hugs. I'll save them up for when you win the big one."

I didn't even want to think about that shit. "Let's get to work. I can't win the big one without winning tomorrow."

"Okay! Let's do it!"

He ran over and said something to Sammy, who nodded and gave him a half smile.

Crisis diverted, for now at least. Who knew my football life would be such a fucking soap opera? Thank fuck real life was far less dramatic, at least with Reed Girl. Who needed all that chaos? Not me, that was for fucking sure.

Xoxoxoxoxox

This was it. I was back in my hometown, the stadium was loud, my family was in attendance, and it was all down to me. I'd rocked this whole game, completing twenty-two of twenty-eight passes for three touchdowns and no picks. Everything had gone just as I'd planned it, except for the fact that Bortles was matching me touchdown for touchdown. Yeah, he'd thrown one pick, but we were down twenty-seven to twenty-four with three minutes to go because the defense hadn't done dick all day.

We got the ball at the thirty-three, and I took the field. I couldn't see my girl, but I knew where she was sitting, so I looked that way and sent her a small head nod. Whether she'd see it or not I couldn't say, but I felt better for having done it.

I got the ball and dropped back, firing off a quick slant to Jennings for seven yards. Next I handed it to him and picked up the first down with a gain of four on the run. Another run had us at midfield at the two-minute warning.

Sammy jogged over to the sideline. "Am I on, or am I on? Jazz was totally right about Hendricks. Keep it coming!"

Jazz? I wasn't even going to ask. I looked to Coach.

"They'll be looking for it, but if you can make the pass, do it. If not, quick out to Call."

Awesome. We took the field again, and I sent Sammy and Paul out on long patterns. Neither was open, so I fired the ball to Embry for a quick gain of thirteen.

The next play was it. Sammy juked Hendricks right out of his shoes, and I let the ball fly just as the blitzing corner came at me. He pulled up before slamming into me and getting a penalty, but it was too late for him to stop the ball sailing right into Sammy's hands. He flew into the end zone, and after the kick, we had a four-point lead with a minute to go.

I hated being on the sidelines in that final minute, watching as the defense played soft, letting them pick up yardage but having the clock tick down. Their Hail Mary attempt was batted away in the end zone, leaving us a winner.

xoxoxoxoxox

I hurried through showers and post-game crap. The team was heading home today, but I had gotten authorization to fly home on my own on Monday. I'd arranged to meet my family at a local restaurant so I could hook up with Reed Girl.

"You were great!" Reed Girl threw her arms around me.

I kissed her hard. "Just wait until we're alone, and I'll show you how great I am."

A derisive sniff met my pronouncement, and I glanced over. "Grandmother." What was she doing there?

"Edward." She offered her cheek for a kiss. Gross. I barely put my lips against the withered old skin.

"Grandfather." I shook his hand before getting engulfed in my mother's embrace. Dad quickly followed.

I stepped back and eyed Jasper, who was hovering nearby. He smiled and congratulated me but didn't go in for the hug. Thank God.

Dinner was a stilted affair, thanks mostly to the presence of the Grandmonster. I did find it odd that Jasper sat next to her and the two of them seemed to have plenty to say to each other the whole time.

"What's up with that?" I asked Shorty, who was on my right.

She smiled. "Everyone loves Jaspy."

Oh sure. Whatever. It kept her off my back. She'd congratulated me on my win and seemed to pay sharp attention whenever the wedding came up, but thankfully she kept her mouth shut.

Reed Girl gave me the high sign, so we said our goodbyes and I sped to the hotel she'd arranged as a surprise for me. I couldn't fucking wait until we were alone again. We checked in with no problem, and as soon as the door closed, I pulled her against me.

"To the victor," I started, making her laugh lightly, but she nudged me aside and headed toward the bed.

"A woman after my own heart." No preliminaries, just getting down to business.

"Not quite yet." She shifted nervously before patting the bed. I wasn't sure what was up, but I did know that my stomach started to flip like it did before a particularly big game.

"Is this about the wedding?" I asked. Was she anxious to avoid the topic for a reason? Every time it came up, she changed the subject or deferred to me. She said she still wanted to marry me, but she was acting weird.

"Not exactly."

Fuck sitting. I paced in front of her. "Not exactly what? You don't want to get married? You don't want me?" I felt fucking sick. I was going to puke, and she was going to dump my ass. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Of course not!" She reached out and grabbed my hand. "You know I love you. I want to marry you more than anything. We just can't set a date right now."

"Why the fuck not? Because of our schedules? Fuck that noise. We'll make time to be free. I have plenty of time this offseason, and your job will accommodate us or we'll tell them to fuck off and find you a better job." Anyone with an ear would want her. She was talented as hell.

"Edward, would you sit down? I can't talk to you with you looming over me."

Right, I was supposed to sit. I was too busy trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong. I sat down next to her, and she wrapped her arms around me. I wanted to do the same, but I really couldn't move with her pinning my arms to my side.

"Okay, remember how we said the other night that sometimes surprises were a good thing?"

Of course I remembered. She'd surprised me with her sexy purple nightie. That was perfection. "Yes."

"Well, I have something to tell you, and while it's not planned, I think it's a good thing."

Okay. Well, she wouldn't think anything was good that broke us up, so that was something. "Reed Girl, if you're not ending it, then I can handle anything you can throw at me."

"Anything?" she asked.

"Anything."

She took a deep breath and released her hold on me before standing in front of me. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Remember you said that."

I sighed. "Reed Girl, just put me out of my misery and tell me."

She gave me a tentative smile and her eyes looked suspiciously shiny. "I'm pregnant."

Holy fuck.

A/N 2: No surprise to most of you, I know! Okay, just a few short words because there were a few you of that vehemently begged me not to go there with our couple, though the majority were excited about it, I think. I've had words like "cliche" tossed at me which I just don't understand. Not sure what's cliche about a couple getting pregnant unexpectedly. My sister-in-law did, without forgetting her pill. Same with one of my best friends. And the story was always going in this direction, because the thought of my Cockyback stumbling into and through fatherhood gave me countless amounts of joy. Along with the idea of Uncle's Jaspy & Emmett kicking in with the fun. Not to mention a certain possessive kitty having to share her favorite person in the world! Haha Forget what Edward thinks, what's Rainbow gonna do?

Next chapter is one of my favorites thus far and I hope you like it. I've never written pregnancy beyond an outtake chapter or two, so I'm excited to explore something that will be new for me. To those of you that may choose not to continue, thanks for reading this far and enjoying a second go-round with these characters with me. As always, I appreciate you all!