A/N Happy Easter! And fic-wise, Happy Thanksgiving, Part 1. I wanted more so the next chapter will be the dinner itself. I didn't plan for this chapter to fall on an actual holiday, but it worked out that way. Always fun! I hope the Easter Bunny was kind to you all today. I'm not going to be around for much of the day, so review replies will be more delayed than they usually are for me, but they will come, as always.

Congrats to the Duke and Wisconsin fans on being the last teams standing in the NCAA Men's finals. I'm gonna have to root for the ACC team now that my champ pick has been defeated, but here's hoping for a good game. Also, happy baseball opening day! My team, the Cardinals, kicks it off tonight on ESPN against their rival Cubs. Should be fun! Go Cards!

Thanks to all of you for sharing how you got into the Twilight saga! It was fun to hear how many of you came in because of your daughters. Also interesting was how some of you came in from the movies first. It seems I was the only one who came in from a sports website (I'm sure this shocked none of you, haha). Shout out to Dee who was the girl who directed me this way. It's hard to believe how many words I've produced thanks to falling for E&B. Since this is a Thanksgiving chapter, I'm thankful for her and for all of you for coming along on this ride with me. (No this is not goodbye!)

Okay, enough gabbing. I have to get around to head out. You all have a lovely Easter day, or if you're not celebrating, just a lovely day all the same. Take care and I'll see you next week!

Getting Blitzed Chapter 30

I was pretty sure this whole fucking day was shot. Every single one of us was eying the clock or glancing at watches or phones. It didn't take long before Coach threw up his hands in defeat.

"Fuck it! Get out of here. But I expect all of your asses in at eight AM on Friday. So don't eat yourselves into a turkey coma. And the first one of you morons who pukes after we run wind sprints will be hand washing all the jocks. You hear me? That means eat in moderation, for those of you who have taken one too many blows to the head. Now, get out of here and enjoy your holiday."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I was out of the door before he'd finished speaking.

Sammy was nipping at my heels, laughing his ass off. "Where's the fire, Cullen?"

In my pants, if I was being honest. It was like my dick knew that Reed Girl was within ten miles of me. Any longer and I might have started sweating and shaking. She was my drug, and I was jonesing for her.

"I take it Bella's plane got in?"

Yeah, it had. And it sucked that I wasn't there to pick her up. "Yes."

We hit the doors, and I pretty much broke into a jog toward my car. It didn't matter that we'd practiced our asses off. I had all the energy in the world for my girl.

A hand clapped down on my shoulder before I opened my car door. I turned, scowling and ready to rip off somebody's head.

Sammy held up his hands. "Dude! Don't kill me. I just wanted to make sure we're still on for tomorrow. You and Bella will come up for air by then, right?"

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Yes. I told them we'd come over around noon. Gives us time to play some and watch the Lions game before we eat."

"Okay. I'll let Brady and Colin know. See you there. And don't forget. I don't think they'd be thrilled if everybody but their favorite player shows up."

I had to laugh. Chelsea would probably throw them all out. I'd gain entrance only because I had her Eli jersey.

"We'll be there. Now, no offense, but someone way prettier than you are is waiting for me at home."

He sniffed. "I do take offense, actually. I'm quite pretty. You could do worse."

"Yes, I could." That made him grin. "But I can also do a hell of a lot better."

"Ass." He punched my left shoulder. "Go. Give your girl a kiss for me."

"Fuck, no. I'll give her kisses from me. That's what she wants."

"Only because she doesn't know what she's missing." He danced out of my reach, laughing. "I'll give it to her myself, tomorrow."

"Try it and the stuffing won't the only thing up the turkey's ass."

He chuckled and threw me a wave. "You'd have to catch me first. Now, what are you still doing here talking to me?"

Damn right. I flipped him off and got into my car. I gunned my engine at him as I drove past, making him laugh again.

I didn't break the land speed record getting home, but I probably came damn close. And maybe I went a little nuts in the elevator, which seemed to be ninety times slower than usual. Why the fuck did we have to buy a penthouse? I should have gotten something on the first floor. It would be faster. And cheaper. Not that I gave a shit about that, but the faster thing would be perfect right about now.

I ran out of the elevator and was inside our place in about ten seconds flat. Thank fuck she'd left the door unlocked.

"Baby? I'm home."

"In here," she called.

I was surprised she wasn't in the living room or our bedroom, but I followed her voice into the guest room. I might have ignored Rainbow's imperious demand that I pick her up. I'd probably pay for that shit later, but I had to get to my wife.

She had her back to me, looking into the room. I slipped my arms around her from behind and kissed her neck.

"What are you doing in here?"

She turned her head and brushed her lips over mine. "Just looking."

"Well, I can think of better things to look at." I nipped her earlobe and made her sigh and melt into me.

Reed Girl wiggled in my arms until she was facing me, putting her arms around my neck. "There. That's better."

I grinned at her. "That's a much better view."

She tilted her head. "You or me? Wait, don't answer that."

I had better things to do than answer because her lips met mine for real, in a nice, long kiss. That was more fucking like it. I steered her toward the guest bed.

Reed Girl kept going when the backs of her knees hit the mattress, pulling me down on top of her without breaking our kiss. I managed to get my hands down to catch myself so I wouldn't smash her into the bed.

We kissed for a while, and even though one very loud part of me was screaming to be inside her, I wasn't in a rush. It just felt fucking amazing to have her with me again. Two weeks and two days was way too fucking long.

We broke apart, and she smiled up at me, running her fingers through my hair. She was so fucking beautiful. "Hello, husband."

I couldn't stop the smile if I wanted to. "Hello, wife. I missed you."

"I missed you, too. It feels good to be home."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Home, huh? I really like the sound of that. It's about time this became your home."

Her hands slipped down to my back and she pulled me all the way against her. "Home is wherever you are."

Fuck. I loved that. And it was so true. This place was great, but it didn't feel completely right without her here.

"Same goes, baby." I kissed her again. "What was it you were looking at when I came in, anyway?"

"The room space. It'll be the baby's room, right? I was just trying to imagine where we'd put the crib."

Huh. I hadn't thought about any of that. Should I have? We still had like five and a half months ago. It seemed a little early to think about decorating to me. But what did I know? Perhaps Reed Girl was already nesting. The book mentioned that. I'd need to go look at that chapter again.

"We have plenty of time to figure all that out."

She smiled. "Not as much time as you think. I imagine time is going to fly once I'm actually up here."

She was probably right. It sure as fuck was crawling right now. Every day felt like a week or so.

"Let's just get you up here first, and then we can go to town on decorating. Whatever you want." I'd promise her the world if it would keep that smile on her face.

"You might regret saying that."

"I'll never regret any promise I make you."

Her eyes looked suspiciously shiny as she tightened her hold on me. "Oh, Edward. You do, occasionally, say the most wonderful things to me."

I started to respond, but her lips found mine before I could. And then whatever I was going to say was lost.

We took our time undressing one another, touching and tasting. It was funny, the need I'd felt to rush home to her, the fucking craving I'd had to be inside her was actually sated just from having her in my arms. Just being with her. And when I finally entered her, it felt incredible. And right.

Much later, we made it into our own bedroom, with a box of pizza and a very annoyed cat between us.

"My jeans are feeling tighter."

I glanced at her. She wasn't wearing jeans. She was wearing nothing but one of my shirts. It was sexy as hell.

"Baby, I took those off you earlier."

She giggled. "Not now. I mean, in general. I'm getting bigger. I should start showing soon."

She actually sounded excited about that, which was good I guess. "Looking forward to it, Reed Girl?"

Bella smirked as she reached for another slice. Maybe I should have ordered something healthier. I'd wanted quick and easy, so we could eat it in bed, toss it aside, and then touch each other again. Yes, even food was a cockblock right now.

"Well, yeah, I mean, I'm looking forward to actually seeing proof that there's a baby inside me, beyond the bigger breasts."

"Hey, don't discount the bigger breasts. Those are an awesome sign of pregnancy." My absolute favorite. I reached over and cupped the left one because it was closest.

She laughed and batted my hand away. "Yes, I know that you're a fan. Pervert."

"You love me that way."

"True. But I am going to have to go shopping soon. Maybe I'll hit the Black Friday sales while you're at practice. I don't see the point in buying new things down in Florida when I'll be moving in two weeks."

Two weeks. I couldn't fucking wait. "That makes sense. It'll give you something to do while I'm gone."

"Yeah." She made a face. "It'll be weird shopping without Rose and Alice, though."

I finished the rest of my slice and tossed the empty box off the bed. I had to admit, my girl had a healthier appetite these days. We usually didn't finish off a large between the two of us. That was okay. We'd worked up an appetite and we'd work off what we'd eaten all night long.

I put my arm around her, and she snuggled into my side. Rainbow smacked my leg with her tail, even though I'd made sure not to disturb her when I scooted over. She was still pissed I'd ignored her when I got home.

"I can ask JPP if his wife has any plans for Friday." Too many of my teammates were single. I was a little worried that she'd be lonely without her girls up here.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'll be okay. It might be nice not to have anybody's voice but my own weighing in on what I buy."

"You'll meet some people when you move up here," I assured her. She needed someone to hang out with other than my teammates. They were cool and all, but no.

"I know. I'm not worried about it. I'll likely meet people through the foundation work, and also once the baby comes along, I plan on doing those Mommy and Me classes, plus there'll be the park. It's going to be different from what I'm used to, but I am actually looking forward to it."

Mommy and Me? Did I want to know? No, probably not. "Am I going to have to take classes?"

She laughed. "Not if you don't want to."

Rainbow decided to forgive us, or maybe just her, because she climbed onto Reed Girl's lap and curled up, watching me with narrowed golden eyes.

"Don't be a bitch, Rainbow. I see you every day. You can't blame me for wanting to see my wife first." Rude cat. I hated when she was mad at me. And I hated that I hated that. Why should I give a shit?

"Jasper says we should take a parenting class, like where you learn how to diaper and shit." It seemed to me that that stuff was pretty self-explanatory, but what did I know? A bunch of chicks in my high school had to tote around dolls for like a month for some class of theirs. Did Reed Girl? That should be enough training, right?

"I know how to change a diaper." Thank fuck. "But you should definitely learn because I'm not going to be the only diaper changer in this house."

Fuck. "The nanny-"

"Is not going to be living here unless we take Rainbow's room slash office away."

Shit. Literally. I was going to have to deal with shit. Rainbow gave me a look that definitely told me that giving up her special room was not an option. I'd figured that anyway. The fastest way to get her to turn on the kid was to let it usurp all her places.

"Diapers, huh?"

"Diapers and bottles and burping and spitting up, oh my!" She grinned at me. "You haven't read that part of the book yet, huh?"

No. I was all about the pre-baby stuff. Post baby was something I wasn't ready to wrap my head around yet. I was looking forward to meeting him and everything, but not the gross stuff.

"Maybe our son will be a genius and he'll come out potty trained."

She giggled. "You can hold on to that futile hope if you want to, but we both know it's not happening."

"I don't know, baby. The kid's a Cullen and a Swan. He couldn't do better in the gene pool if he tried." I fucking loved making her laugh. Yes, I knew I was being ridiculous, but it was fun to think about.

I stroked Rainbow for a few seconds before putting my hand on Reed Girl's belly. "He's going to be awesome."

"Yes, he or she is."

"We'll find out in a few weeks."

She put her hands on top of mine.

"Then we can start talking names and nurseries."

It should have freaked me out. A few weeks ago, it would have. But it sounded really good. Well, maybe not the decorating part. That wasn't really my thing. But giving our baby a name? Yeah, I looked forward to that.

"Sounds good to me, baby."

"Me, too." She picked Rainbow off her lap and put her on the floor. "Now, how about we relive how we got into this position?"

Oh, yeah. "I'm all for remembering the good times, Reed Girl. And the good positions."

She laughed as she straddled me. My hands automatically slid under her shirt, stroking soft, warm skin.

"Let the good times roll, Cullen."

She was perfect, my wife. Just perfect for me. I had a lot to be thankful for. It was the right time of year for it, after all.

Xoxoxoxoxox

I pulled up outside of the gray two-story house and turned to Reed Girl.

"Are you ready? This isn't going to make you cry, is it?" Normally, I'd never have to ask such a question, but she'd randomly cried this morning at some commercial where a puppy got separated from its owner. I could only be thankful that one of those SPCA commercials with all the abused and homeless animals didn't come on. She'd never have stopped crying. Hormones sucked. Well, the crying ones did. The sex ones could stay forever as far as I was concerned.

"Of course I'm not going to cry." She smacked my arm lightly. "Unless there's no pumpkin pie. That might move me to tears."

I laughed. "You wouldn't be alone, baby. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. And we're covered there." I'd had a shitton of pies sent over from some fancy bakery. I couldn't wait to tear into them.

I touched her cheek. "Seriously, though. I almost cried when I met Danny, so I know it might get to you."

She leaned into my palm. "I know. And it probably will. But I'm not going to make him feel uncomfortable. That's the last thing I'd ever do. I can keep it in, I promise."

"Okay. Let's go."

I went around and let her out of the car before I grabbed the Eli jersey, the bottles of champagne and sparkling cider, and the flowers from the back. We carried everything up to the door, and I rang the bell before slipping my free arm around Reed Girl's waist.

"I got it!"

I grinned when I heard Danny's excited voice, followed by pounding footsteps. He may have cancer, but he still acted like the nine-year-old that he was.

He yanked open the door. The first thing that I saw was the bright grin on his face. The second thing was that he was wearing my jersey.

"Edward! Hi!"

"Hi, bud! You look like you're ready to play."

"I am! Some of my friends are coming over. Dad said we could go down to the school, if you want? It has more space. Nobody can believe you're actually coming to see me."

"Well, of course I came over. I promised, didn't I? Thank you for having us. This is my wife, Bella. Bella, this is Danny."

I felt her take a deep breath under my hand. She was smiling just as big as he was, though. Her eyes were a little shiny, but no tears, thank fuck.

"Danny, I'm so excited to meet you! Edward's told me all about you. I hear you've got a pretty good arm."

"Hi," he said, looking a little bashful. "Did he really talk about me? He thinks I'm good?"

My girl nodded. "He sure does. He thinks you have what it takes to make it. And I can tell you, Edward doesn't give out compliments like that to just anyone. He's pretty picky."

"Hey! I just tell it like it is!"

Both of them grinned at me.

"I've been practicing! I wanted to be ready to play today."

"Danny, you're supposed to invite them in," a sassy little voice announced. It was just a moment later when Chelsea appeared, scowl fixed in place.

"Oh, yeah! Please, come in." He held the door open and gestured inside, like he'd been practicing. It was funny as hell.

"You have to offer to take their coats, dummy."

"I was gonna! I forgot. And don't call me names."

They glared at each other mutinously. I recognized those looks. Emmett and I had given them to one another countless times growing up.

"We really appreciate the hospitality." Bella stepped inside. "Maybe you could take these flowers in to your mom for me? We can't get our coats off with all these goodies in our hands, so you didn't forget anything, Danny."

Reed Girl handed over the flowers. "It's nice to meet you, Chelsea. I'm Edward's wife, Bella."

"Hi. You're pretty," Chelsea told her.

"Thank you. So are you."

My wife was a fucking natural. She'd diffused the argument, gotten a compliment from Chelsea, and made Danny flush with pleasure by assuring him that he hadn't fucked up. She was going to be an awesome mother.

"So, you're Edward's wife? Why didn't you marry Eli instead? He's better."

"Chelsea! We talked about this." Joyce stepped into the hallway, scowling at her daughter. "I'm sorry. She's got a mind of her own. I'm Joyce Prentice. It's so nice to meet you."

Reed Girl just laughed. "I'm Bella. And you have nothing to apologize for. It's nice to meet someone who'll put him in his place now and then. I can only do so much."

"A guy could get a complex from the two of you."

I grinned when Reed Girl mouthed, As if.

"It's a good thing you're here to defend me, Danny. These women are ganging up on me."

"I'll defend you!" He pumped a fist in the air.

Joyce laughed and reached for the wine. "Thank you so much for coming. You didn't have to bring anything! You've already sent over so much."

"It was the least we could do, with you offering to feed a few football players. They'd have eaten you out of house and home. Trust me," I assured her.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Reed Girl asked.

"Oh, no, everything is mostly handled. But please, come in. Danny, take their coats."

We handed them over and followed Joyce into the family room. Once we got farther into the house, the awesome smell hit.

"God, it smells good in here."

Joyce laughed at my declaration. "I'm so glad you think so. Steve will be in shortly. He's out back frying a turkey of all things. Please, take a seat."

"Really? I've always wanted to try fried turkey." I loved fried shit, even if I didn't let myself eat it often.

Reed Girl sat on the couch and smoothed her black dress over her knees. I sank down next to her.

"So has Steve. You gave him the perfect excuse." Joyce smiled at me. "You sent over more than I could possibly cook in the oven, so he decided it was time to try a fryer. He's having a fine time out there. I made him take a fire extinguisher with him." She chuckled. "And I have one stationed by the sliding glass door, just in case."

"Better safe than sorry." Reed Girl smiled. "Thank you so much for having us over. I just flew in yesterday, and the thought of putting together a big meal for the two of us didn't appeal."

"We're thrilled you came. Danny's talked about nothing else these past few weeks." Her smile fell a little. "It's been good for him."

"How's he-" I broke off when Danny came into the room, already with a football in his hand.

"When are the guys getting here?" he asked, coming to a stop in front of me.

"Pretty soon. Anxious, are we?" The kid was practically vibrating with excitement. It made me grin.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, my neighbor, Mark, said you guys weren't coming. And that I was a liar. But I'm not."

"Mark's a jerk." Chelsea came into the room, scowling again. "I'm going to kick him again."

Joyce sighed and smoothed a hand over her daughter's head. Some of her hair was growing back. I could see that it was blondish like her mother's.

"Chels, we've talked about kicking. And hitting."

"But Mark makes fun of Danny. He needs kicking."

I couldn't help but agree. Who the fuck was this little shit, Mark? He needed a talking to. Or an ass kicking. Too bad I couldn't hit a kid. Too bad my son wasn't born yet. He could totally do it for me.

"Violence is not the answer. If Mark is mean, Danny can handle it. Or he can tell me about it."

Danny was looking at the floor, his face red. Fuck. He was embarrassed, and I couldn't blame him. "I'm sure Danny is smart enough not to let some moron's words hurt him."

He looked up at my words.

"You're stronger than anyone I know, kid. A small-minded bully can't take that away from you."

Reed Girl made a little gasping noise and scooted closer to me on the couch. I put my arm around her.

Danny grinned at me. "You think I'm strong like you?"

"Stronger," I assured him. "But it's cool that you have a sister who's ready to kick a-butt for you. My brother used to do that for me, too. He gave me a hard time, but he didn't let anyone else do it." I shot Chelsea a smile. "He went in swinging, too."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool." Danny smiled at his sister and got an answering smile back. They really did look a lot alike.

"And since she's cool, I should probably give her a present." I handed her the Eli jersey. She let out a squeal of delight. "See? I promised I'd get it for you."

"Thank you! Did he talk about me?"

"He said he enjoyed talking to you and that you had good taste in favorite players."

"I do." She smiled at my wife. "You should have married Eli."

"Chelsea!" Her mom shook her head in exasperation.

Reed Girl giggled. "I'm pretty sure he's already married. But if that ever changes, I'll make a play for him."

"Hey!" I tickled her side, and she squirmed into me.

"I'm just kidding!"

I stopped tickling.

"Maybe." She was laughing and her eyes were sparkling. She was fucking gorgeous.

"You'd better be."

"Newlyweds." Joyce smiled at us. "You two are so cute together."

"We have our moments." Reed Girl smiled at me. "Are you sure I can't help with anything, Joyce?"

"Well, we could get to work on the green bean casserole. Danny, do you want to show Edward your room?"

"Yeah! Come on, Edward." He tugged at my hand.

I got up and helped Reed Girl to her feet. "Have fun in the kitchen, baby."

"Don't get used to it, Cullen." She kissed my cheek and followed Joyce from the room.

Danny tugged me toward the stairs. "You're going to love my room! It's all Giants and Florida State!"

His room was pretty cool. The walls were Giant blue, and he had hung the FSU pennants and had my jersey framed on his wall.

"This is a great room, Danny." He had toys on a shelf, a messy desk, clothes bursting out of his closet. A total little boy's room. One day, my kid would have a room a lot like this. I was kind of excited about it. Maybe we'd paint his garnet and gold.

"Thanks. Maybe we could play some video games while we wait."

No sooner had he said that than the doorbell rang. "That's them."

"Yes! Let's go!" He grabbed up his ball and my hand, and we hurried out of the room.

Chelsea was giving my teammates the eye when we got downstairs. "Who do you think is the better quarterback? Edward or Eli? You played with Eli, right?"

She was wearing her jersey. Sammy grinned at me from the doorway.

"Well, I should say the quarterback I'm playing for now, but since you're wearing an Eli jersey, and since I really want to eat whatever smells so delicious, I'm going to have to go with Eli."

Ass. I glanced at Danny to make sure he wasn't looking when I flipped him off. He roared with laughter.

"What's the matter, Cullen? Did we finally find the one female who you can't charm?" Brady chuckled. "I like Eli, too. He's a great guy. We're friends."

"Whatever. You're going to pay for that on the field. Call your friends, Danny. Let's get a move on."

He scampered off to call his buds, and I headed outside with my boys. We were chatting it up for a few when I heard someone calling my name.

"Oh my God. You're Edward Cullen. You're actually here."

I glanced over as a kid came running down the driveway next door.

"Are you Mark?" I asked, an edge in my voice.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." I turned to the open doorway of Danny's house. "Hey, Danny, bring your sister. We could use a really good kicker."

I saw the kid wince out of the corner of my eye. Good. Fucker.

"Is there any reason you're glaring at a little kid?" Sammy asked me quietly.

"He picks on Danny. I can't hit him, so…"

Sammy gave the kid the stink eye as well. "Got it. Is he playing with us? I can knock him into the mud or something. Accidentally, of course."

I snickered. You could always count on Sammy. "Nah, we'd probably get sued or something. He can only play with us if he's not a dick to Danny."

Danny came running out. "They'll meet us there! I can't wait to…oh. Hi, Mark."

"Hi. Where are you guys going?"

"To the school to play some football."

"Wow! Can I come?"

Danny glanced at me. "It's up to you, man," I told him. Let him make the call.

"Sure, I guess."

We started to head toward the school, Danny chattering away to all of us. Before we got too far, Chelsea came running up.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded of Mark. I fucking loved that kid. She didn't have a filter. She reminded me of me.

"Danny said I could come. What are you doing out? Aren't you grounded?"

"For kicking you? No way. Mom gave me extra dessert."

Sammy and I busted up laughing. Colin and Brady had no idea what the fuck was going on, but they smiled anyway.

"Listen, Baldy. The only reason you got away with that is I'm not allowed to hit girls."

I stopped and looked at the kid. "What did you call her?"

"Baldy," he replied. "She doesn't have any hair."

Fuck that noise. This kid wasn't getting the honor of playing football with Danny. All of my teammates were openly glaring at the kid now.

"First of all, she has hair. She's a beautiful girl who loves and supports her brother, which makes her a badass." Maybe I shouldn't have said ass in front of kids, but I didn't give a fuck. "Second of all, anybody who makes fun of a person because they're different, because they're sick, is a jerk. My friend Danny is too classy to call a jerk a jerk, but I'm not. Run along, kid. We don't play with bullies."

Mark gaped at me for a few seconds before turning around and running in the other direction.

"Damn, Cullen. You made that kid shit himself."

I shot Colin a look and cut my eyes to the two kids who were standing there staring at me.

"Oh, shit. I mean, sorry."

Dumbass. "So, do we have a game to get to, or what?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Edward." Danny beamed up at me.

"Anytime, kid." I took off his hat and patted the top of his head. "Never let anyone make you feel less than you are."

"I won't." He started to put the cap back on his head but then tossed it aside. "Let's go play football."

We fell into step behind him. I felt something brush my hand and looked down to see Chelsea. She took my hand in hers.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you could sign one of your jerseys for me?"

Damned if I didn't feel like I'd just won a huge fucking battle. "I can do that."

"Cool." She kept my hand in hers.

"Guess I was wrong. There are no females he can't charm," Brady said, making everybody laugh.

Maybe I could. But the ones who were a challenge, like Chelsea and my Reed Girl, were worth the extra effort. I smiled at the little girl who smiled back up at me. Totally worth it.