A/N Happy Drop Everything & Read Day! No lie, that's one of today's special days, so of course I had to choose it, for obvious reasons. Advice I'd definitely like to take :) And if you're here, you're taking it as well, so yay!

In sports news, the Masters wraps today. Not much drama in who will win, without some kind of collapse, but there's some major players on the board which is always good. I rarely watch golf, but I might give it a look for a few today (yes, it's boring to watch for long, I agree). And before I forget, congrats to my Dukies! ACC wins another one. I can't complain about that. My team will never contend in basketball, so I'm all good with someone from the conference winning. I am sorry to my future husband, JJ Watt, that his alma mater went down. But since he was at the game with a girl, well, you get what's coming to you. hehe Let me have my delusions, ladies. It is my happy place!

Thanksgiving part deux lies ahead. Made me a little teary at times, so you know, keep that in mind, even though I'm sappy like that! You'll be happy to know that I just wrote the chapter where the baby's sex is revealed, so we're nearly there (33, for those dying to know). Much fun ahead! And since it's fictional Thanksgiving, know that I'm thankful for all of you! Take care and I'll see you next week :)

Getting Blitzed Chapter 31

"That was awesome! We won!" Danny's eyes were sparkling as he grinned up at me. I was glad he was happy, but he was so damn pale. And even though he hadn't said a word, I could tell he was tired.

"Well, of course we won, kid. You and me on the same team? They didn't stand a chance." I patted his back. "It was probably unfair, putting the two best players together, but that's football. It's all about managing the salary cap."

His giggles broke off when he started coughing. Fuck. It was cold out, and we needed to get him back inside. I crouched down in front of him.

"Get on, kid. The MVP always gets carried around the field after the game."

"I'm the MVP?" he asked, sounding completely shocked.

"Who else would it be? You scored the game winning touchdown."

"Yeah, but you helped me."

"That's what a teammate does, Danny." Sammy held out his hand for a high five. "You kicked our butts! Now get on Edward's back. Make him do some actual work for once."

He helped Danny get onto my back. The smile was still on his face, but I saw the concern in his eyes when I stood back up. Yeah. It was fucked up that the kid was wiped out after a quick football game. He weighed so little. I felt like his sister had about twenty pounds on him.

"For real. You quarterback types get all the glory while we do all the hard stuff." Colin grinned at Danny. "You're smart to play that position, Danny. All the money, all the glory, none of the pain."

I laughed when I saw him limping. "You take on three-hundred-pound defensive ends and you can't even handle a sixty-pound girl?"

"Hey! She plays dirty! She's worse than Suh."

Chelsea put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You're way bigger than me. I had to take you down."

"By kicking me in the shin? Got news for you, kid… That would be a fifteen-yard personal foul penalty and you'd probably get ejected if this was a real game."

"But it wasn't and I didn't and we won. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him and scampered away when he attempted to grab at her.

"Be thankful she didn't go for the balls, man," I murmured. "That's how she took out that Mark kid."

"See? Dirty player." But he grinned. "I like her style."

"Me, too. Let's get out of here. It's time to eat." And get Danny out of the winter air. It was cold as shit, and winter was only just starting.

"You just said the magic words." Brady jogged past me, waving to the kids who had come to play with us.

There'd been more than expected, because friends had called friends and whatnot. But it had been a pretty awesome time. We'd all signed some autographs on whatever the kids offered, from hats to footballs. We said our good-byes and headed back to the house. I carried Danny the whole way, and Sammy gave Chelsea her own piggyback ride since she won, too.

"Well, it looks like somebody had fun!" Joyce met us at the door, smiling as we carried her kids into the house.

I bent down and let Danny slide off me. He threw his arms around his mother. "We won, Mom! I was the MVP because I scored the winning touchdown!"

"That's great, baby! Of course you were the MVP." She helped him out of his jacket and ran her fingers over his cheeks. "I'm so proud of you."

"All the guys were so excited! And Tommy got a touchdown, and Jason did. And Chelsea tackled Colin."

"If that's what you call tackling," Colin muttered. I cuffed his back and made him laugh. "Coach is gonna have my ass if he sees that bruise."

"Don't worry. I'll tell him you got taken down by a nine-year-old girl. He won't mind."

Joyce laughed. "Somehow I imagine there's more to that story."

"He's big, Mom." Chelsea handed over her coat and scarf. "I did what I had to do, and we won."

"Did she kick you?" Joyce turned to her daughter. "Chelsea! We've talked about this."

"Mom, you have to do whatever you have to do to win. Even if you have to be sneaky."

"She'd make a hell of a Patriot," Sammy whispered.

I stifled my laugh.

"She provided the perfect lane for Danny to run through. They make a good team," I told Joyce.

"They do." She smiled down at her children. "Now, go clean up. It's nearly time for turkey."

They walked off, hand in hand, identical smiles on their faces.

"Thank you for taking them out to play. It meant so much to both of them." She looked teary for a moment, but she blinked a few times. "Let me show you to the kitchen so you guys can wash up as well."

We went in and found Bella laughing as she chatted with Steve. I washed up and shook his hand.

"Hey! So you got to come inside, huh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but only after the oil was almost completely cool. I'm glad it's getting cold out, or I'd still be out there. How are you? Thanks for coming."

I slipped my arms around my wife. "I'm great. Thanks for having us. What are you up to, baby?"

"Mashing potatoes." She turned off the mixer and used the spoon to get some potato off the beaters. Before I could say a word, she held the spoon out to me and let me lick it off.

"Yum. Tastes great, Reed Girl."

Steve chuckled. "She was just telling me how you came to give her that nickname."

"Really?" I grinned down at my girl. "Did you tell him the real version or the PG one?"

"PG, of course. We don't know each other that well yet." She pushed the bowl aside and turned around to hug me. "How was the game?"

"It was great. Danny, Chelsea, and I were on the winning team, of course."

She grinned. "Of course you were."

I gave Steve a play-by-play of the game as we carried some of the food out to the table. With all of us helping, we were seated in no time.

"Instead of saying a traditional grace, we usually all take a turn to tell what we're thankful for." Joyce smiled. "Danny, would you like to start?"

"Okay." He folded his hands together. "I'm thankful for my parents and my sister. I'm thankful that I met Edward and that his teammates are here today. And I'm thankful that I got to play football and be the MVP."

Reed Girl slipped her hand onto my leg and gave me a slight squeeze. I put my hand on top of hers.

"I'm thankful for my family and my brother. And I'm thankful to Edward for bringing my Eli jersey and for not letting Mark play with us. Oh, and I'm thankful I won."

"Who's Mark, and why didn't you let him play with you?" Bella murmured softly.

Shit. I hoped I wasn't going to be in trouble for that one. "A jackass who called Chelsea Baldy and gives Danny a hard time."

"Oh, well, fuck him, then."

It took everything I had in me not to either burst out laughing or give her a highly inappropriate kiss at the dinner table. She was so fucking sexy when she cussed. That Mark kid was lucky she hadn't been around when he called Chelsea names.

"I'm thankful that you invited us into your home today. I'm thankful for my mom, who worked hard to provide for me, and for my teammates and friends, who have also become my family." Sammy smiled at us.

"I'm thankful for this awesome food and for getting to spend the holiday with a really great family. Thanks for taking us in and feeding us. I know it's not an easy task." Brady's dimples flashed. "Colin will probably eat a whole turkey himself."

"Moron." Colin cleared his throat. "I'm thankful for my teammates, even if they're pains more than half the time. And I'm thankful that you invited me here. Also, I'm thankful I have strong shins."

Chelsea smiled angelically at him from across the table. It was fucking hilarious. She'd probably try to kick his other shin before the day was over.

Reed Girl sat up. "I'm thankful that I got to spend this holiday with my husband, who I'm thankful for every single day. I'm so happy that Edward has found friends and family so far away from home. It makes it easier when we're apart to know that he has people like you with him. I'm thankful for all of you and for the unexpected blessing that will be joining us in six months."

I lifted her hand to my lips and gave it a light kiss. My turn. Normally I hated shit like this, but this year, here, it felt right to say it. "I could pretty much just echo what Bella said. I'm so thankful that she went out of her way to meet me and that she didn't run away once she got to know me."

"More like you didn't run away," she said, making everyone laugh.

"That's true. I'm thankful that she got under my skin and that I couldn't help but fall for her. I'm grateful for my family, both on and off the field, here and in Florida. I'm thankful that I have such great friends in my life, those who I trust to take care of my wife when I can't. I, too, am excited about unexpected blessings." I put my hand over Reed Girl's stomach. "I'm thankful for my new friend, Danny, and I'm honored to have been included in your lives and at your table."

Reed Girl sniffled next to me, and I handed her my napkin. She laughed softly as she dabbed at her eyes.

"I'm not thankful for hormones."

That made everybody laugh, including my Bella. The kids were the only ones who didn't get it. Shit. I probably shouldn't have said that. What if they started asking how babies were made? When did kids do that? One day my kid would…fuck that noise. Reed Girl got to answer that question. I'd buy him condoms when he turned fifteen. That would be my contribution.

"We're thankful for our two beautiful children." Joyce smiled through her tears. "And that all of you could be with us today. You can't possibly know…" Her voice faded out.

"How much it means to Danny, and all of us, to have you here," Steve finished for her. "Thank you for making us part of your lives."

I didn't know if I'd be able to eat past the lump in my throat. But when my girl piled a mound of the mashed potatoes that she'd made onto my plate, I knew I had to. It didn't take long for everybody to dig in, and of course my teammates had seconds and thirds. Well, so did I. And much to my surprise, so did Reed Girl.

"So good," she moaned next to me.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? I'm eating for two, and the baby likes it."

Steve laughed. "Joyce used to say that since she was eating for three, she needed three times as much as she used to. I didn't argue with her."

"You knew better." Joyce grinned at me. "Never argue with a pregnant woman."

"Yeah." Reed Girl brandished her butter knife at me. "Or get between her and food, especially on Thanksgiving."

"I wouldn't think of it." I gave her the little bit of turkey I had left on my plate. "I just wanted to make sure she'd still have room for pie later."

"There's always room for pumpkin pie," she informed me before popping my last bite of turkey into her mouth. It was fascinating. And kind of hot, if I was being honest. I had no idea why I should find that sexy, but I did. Then again, I'd always loved that she wasn't one of those salad-eating, I'm-so-fat, sort of girls. I hated that type.

"Darn right!" Brady echoed. "I may not be pregnant, but I have to agree."

"You look more pregnant than anyone here, big guy." Sammy patted Brady's stomach.

"I'm a growing boy. Right, Danny?"

Danny nodded. I noticed that he hadn't eaten that much. Was that normal? I was really getting worried. Hopefully we hadn't overdone it on the field.

"You're just fat," Chelsea said, jarring me out of my thoughts.

"Chelsea! That's not nice. Apologize right now," her mother scolded her.

"But you said it's not nice to lie. And he's lying. He's not growing still."

"Chels, I really don't want to have to send you to your room on Thanksgiving, but I will if you don't say you're sorry."

"Fine. Sorry you lied and that I called you fat, even if that's what you are." Her little face was positively mutinous. It was fucking hilarious.

I couldn't help it. The laugh came out of me before I could stop myself. Fortunately, Brady joined in, along with Reed Girl and the rest of my teammates.

I finally managed to speak after I got all the laughs out. "I'm sorry. She's just…I mean, she says whatever she thinks. It's funny."

"What he means to say is that she's just like him. Edward tends to speak first and then think about the consequences later." Reed Girl smiled fondly at me.

"Not true. I don't usually think about the consequences at all, unless I f…foul up with you." I didn't give a shit if I offended other people. Only her.

"God help me if the baby takes after him." Reed Girl grinned to show that she didn't mean it. Of course it would be awesome if our kid was just like me.

"She keeps us on our toes, for sure." Joyce gave Chelsea the look again. I really needed to start practicing that thing for my kid. If he did take after me, he'd need it frequently.

"She's just calling it like she sees it, cutting through the bull. You have to respect that." I firmly believed that. I hoped my kid called people out like she did. I might have to kick an ass or two because of it, but it would totally be worth it.

"Yes, well, there's a time and a place, however." Joyce kept looking at her daughter.

"Okay, I'm sorry for real this time." She gave Brady a sunny smile that of course he returned.

"It's okay, kid. I've been called a lot worse. And I do like to eat. There's lots of muscle underneath the layer of fat. Just gives me extra protection out on the field."

"So I can eat more if I play football?" Chelsea asked, sounding quite excited about it.

"Heck yeah! You need to eat more, to have the fuel to get you through a game," Colin assured her.

"Cool. I'm gonna be a football player when I grow up, then." She took more mashed potatoes just to emphasize her point.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Her mother took the bowl away. "In the meantime, why don't you all head into the living room? I know you probably want to watch some football."

Hell, yeah. Of course, before I could make a move, my girl grabbed my arm. "We'll help you clean up, first."

Reed Girl gave me the look before I could protest. Damn. She already had it down. Maybe girls were just born knowing how to do that shit. Or maybe they learned on husbands before children. No, they probably learned it during sex ed. That must be it.

We carried the countless dishes into the kitchen and helped with clean up until the kitchen got too crowded and they shooed us away. We hit the living room, and Danny sat next to me on the couch as we watched the end of the Lions game. I put an arm around him, and he leaned against my side. It wasn't too long before he was sound asleep.

Reed Girl smiled when she came into the room and saw us. She sat on my other side and lightly touched Danny's cheek. I saw a tear course down hers and reached up to wipe it away.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, not wanting to set her off any further.

"Yeah. It's just a beautiful sight. One day, not too long from now, it'll be our child sleeping on you."

I had to admit, it was a nice image. She rested her head on my shoulder, and we settled in to watch the game.

Danny wasn't the only one to fall asleep. Chelsea was out like a light not long after, and Colin totally dozed off and snored loud as shit.

I looked away from the TV when I heard the click of a camera. Joyce was standing in the doorway taking pictures of Danny and me.

"I couldn't resist," she said, bringing a blanket over and putting it on her son.

"Is he…he looks…" I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say, but she smiled sadly.

"We're going in for more testing this week. It doesn't look good. He's probably got more chemo ahead."

More? How in the hell could the poor kid take more? He was so little, so frail. It just sucked ass.

"Do they know?" How did you tell your kid that they had to go back to the hospital and that things weren't looking good?

"They know. He didn't want us to say anything, because he wanted to enjoy the day." Fuck. She must have seen the look on my face, because she shook her head quickly. "Don't feel bad. This is what he wanted. You gave him a fabulous day. One he'll never forget. One none of us will ever forget."

She put another blanket over her sleeping daughter. "Chelsea told me what happened with Mark. I should probably scold you for making the neighbor cry, but I can't find it in me. She was impressed, and as you can tell, it takes a lot to impress my Chels."

Crap. I felt Bella's eyes on me, questioning. "I didn't make him cry, per se. I just told him bullies weren't allowed to play with us."

"And you told him my daughter was beautiful and, what was it? Kickass?"

Crap. She'd ratted me out. I squirmed under Joyce's watchful gaze.

"I didn't mean to. It just came out. No filter, remember?"

She laughed. "I'm not lecturing you. I'm thanking you. She is kickass." She ran her hands over the stubbly hair that was trying to grow back on Chelsea's head. "Sometimes I worry, you know, that I don't give her enough attention, because she's healthy and he's not. But she never complains. And she should know that she kicks ass. So, thank you for telling her. I think she'll believe it coming from you."

"Well." I cleared my throat. "Well, then, I'm glad I sent him home. He was a little asshole anyway."

Reed Girl smacked me lightly as everybody laughed.

"Yes, he is." Joyce's blue eyes sparkled. "Now, how about some pie?"

Xoxoxoxox

We left a few hours later. The kids had woken up for pie, and we'd played Candyland and Sorry! a couple times before we took off. I totally kicked Candyland ass. Chelsea had kicked all our asses in Sorry!, though, delighting in sending our pieces back to start. It had been a really fun day, all in all.

I told Danny to keep texting me with his dad's phone and to call whenever he wanted. Chelsea asked me to have Eli call her again. So, I'd made some inroads, but I still wasn't her favorite. That was cool. I'd win her over one day.

We said our goodbyes and separated. Reed Girl linked her fingers with mine when I started up the car.

"You're going to make one incredible father, Edward."

I looked at her, surprised at how fierce she sounded. I turned the car back off. "Thanks, baby."

"I mean it. I know you have your worries, and so do I, about me, but not about you. Not after I saw you with those kids today."

"What do you mean? You shouldn't be afraid. You're going to be awesome. I'm the one who curses in front of them, makes neighbor kids cry, and maybe makes them want to know how babies are made." I'd apologized to Joyce for that, but she'd laughed and told me they'd already had that conversation. So it came before age nine. Good to know.

Reed Girl giggled. "Yeah, our kid is probably going to know the word fuck before he or she knows the word mama, but we'll work on that." She smiled. "You supported and defended those kids, even to their own parents when you were afraid that they were going to get into trouble. You made Danny feel like a champion and Chelsea feel like she could take down defensive linemen."

She brought our joined fingers up to her lips, kissing the back of my hand. "You gave a very sick little boy a strong shoulder to sleep on and never made him feel like he was sick or different. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen you do." Tears spilled over her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry, baby." These weren't happy tears. Or maybe they were? I couldn't fucking tell.

"I can't help it. And I held off the whole dinner, just about, so you have to let me cry now." She laughed as she brushed at her tears. "I can't help but think about how you'll be with our baby."

The thought of that made those flutters start in stomach again. But I put my hand over her stomach. "I don't know what I'll do if our kid gets sick." I hated that Danny was sick. And I hated that I didn't want my kid to be like him. It made me feel shitty.

"Oh, Edward." She cupped my face in her hands. "Don't you see? You'll do exactly what you just did. You'll defend our child; you'll give him or her shoulder to lean on. You'll be his strength and mine. Cause God knows I'll need you to be mine, sick or healthy."

"You're way stronger than I am, baby." I pulled her to me. "I'm scared for him."

She wrapped her arms around me and held on to me tight. "Me, too. But we'll both be there for him, for them. It's all we can do."

"I wish we could do more."

Reed Girl pulled back and smiled at me. "Then we'll do more. We'll add a charity for children's leukemia or just cancer in general to the foundation. We'll raise money, donate time, do what we can in Danny's name."

She fucking floored me. I kissed the hell out of her. "You're the most incredible woman I've ever met."

She smiled. "That makes us a well-matched pair then, because you're incredible, too." She kissed me again. "Take me home. I'm in the mood for something sweet."

Holy shit. I shook my head as I started the car. "You can't possibly eat more pie."

She laughed. "I could, but I was talking about you."

Well, then. I floored the gas and made her laugh.

As we pulled away from the house, I watched it get smaller in my rearview mirror. "We're gonna need to get a house, aren't we?" It had hit me as we'd been sitting there, watching the kids play with their toys. A kid needed a yard and neighbors to play with and shit. A swingset, like they had in their backyard.

Reed Girl laughed lightly, and I glanced at her. "What?"

"I was trying to figure out a way to bring that up to you without freaking you out, like the boys did after you found out I was pregnant."

Surprisingly, I didn't feel the need to freak out this time. It was what it was.

"We don't have to move right away if you don't want. Obviously the baby won't need much space at first."

"No, but you want to, don't you?" I knew my wife.

"Maybeeeee."

I laughed at her wheedling tone. "Maybe, huh?"

"Well, it's just that it'll be a pain dragging the baby stuff into the elevator and out every time we want to go to the store or the park or something."

I shook my head and took her hand in mine again. "Looks like we'll be house hunting soon." I honestly didn't want to wait, either. It'd be easier to move before the baby came than after, when we had all that extra shit to haul.

"Yeah?" She sounded excited. "I can't wait! We're going to have a real home."

A real home. With my wife, our kid, and our cat. Two years ago, I would have lost my shit. Now? It sounded really kind of great.