A/N Happy National Apple Turnover Day! Since I used the Popover one a bit back, I decided I had to go with this one. Plus I totally have almost an entire apple pie downstairs from yesterday, so apples are on my mind. It's also National Bikini Day, which I shan't be participating in out of a general love for humanity. I wouldn't traumatize the world like that. Also it's National Workaholics Day, which seems weird on a Sunday but I suppose a workaholic probably works regardless? Andddd it's National Build a Scarecrow Day! Perhaps I'll work up the energy for that one later, if I can find some straw. So weird! haha

I hope that everyone had a lovely fourth! I had fun with my bro and sis-in-law and some visiting friends, although the only fireworks show we were treated to was by Mother Nature. That's okay, though. We saw some good ones on the way home.

I'm trying to decide if I have the energy to go see Magic Mike XXL for the second time later today. Of course, that could give me energy and then some. hehe If you follow me on twitter, you probably got a giggle at some of my reactions. All were true, though! I'm getting flushed just thinking about it now. haha A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

I think I've decided on my LLS outtake for this story. How do you feel about a Reed Girl POV (the only time I've dipped into her head before was also for the LLS compilation) of Dani's illness, and a look through her eyes when Danny saw Edward wearing his name? I definitely want the little guy included, and this seemed a good way to me. Let me know what you think?

Okay, I'm off to either get around to go to the movies or to burrow back into bed. haha Decisions, decisions! You have a wonderful Sunday, and a great week ahead. I have officially written Dani's birth (chapter 45) and dipped back into the head of our furry friend for chapter 46! Perhaps that's why I'm feeling a little sassy this weekend! haha Anyway, we're definitely getting to the big stuff soon! And you get more of Rainbow here, as well as Chelsea, football gang, kittens, and maybe a couple tears again. I teared up anyway, sap that I am. Enjoy and I'll see you next week!

Getting Blitzed Chapter 43

"Hi, Edward!" Chelsea threw her arms around me the moment I opened the door.

"Hey, Chels. How are you?" I hugged her back before shaking hands with Steve and Joyce.

"I'm good! Where's the kitty?"

I laughed and called for Rainbow. She came careening around the corner. Must have been in the living room, where I had a fire roaring in the fireplace.

"Chelsea, this is Rainbow. Rainbow, this is Chelsea." I picked Rainbow up and held her out. "Let her sniff your hand for a few seconds. She needs to decide if you're okay."

Her eyes widened, but she held out her hand. "What if she doesn't like me?"

Rainbow took a test whiff and then gave her a head-butt. "That means she likes you. Rainbow has great taste. I'm her favorite person, after all."

Chelsea laughed and petted Rainbow's head. "She's so soft. Sari's kitty had tougher fur. This feels better."

I was pretty sure Rainbow was preening like she knew she'd been complimented. She started purring up a storm. Thank fuck. She'd never really been around kids, and while I was sure she'd eventually accept Dani, I was a little worried about it. She fucking loved the nursery, and I'd had to put some blankets down in the cradle and crib because she liked being in both. I wasn't sure if we should block her from that or not, but Reed Girl thought we should let her get used to everything before Dani came.

"She is soft." I put Rainbow down, and she rubbed against Chelsea's legs before heading down the hallway. "Why don't you follow her inside? Bella's in the kitchen, and I'm pretty sure she needs a taste tester before everyone gets here."

Chelsea let out a little whoop and zipped inside right away. Her parents smiled after her.

"Are you sure she isn't going to be any trouble? I know you're having some of your teammates over…" Joyce trailed off when I shook my head. "It's the Super Bowl. I'm sure you guys want to drink and curse and all that."

I laughed. "Our party consists of two pregnant women, which means alcohol is going to be very limited. I told the guys they could have a beer or two, but I won't be drinking. And we're all going to have to get used to not cussing in a few months anyway. No time like the present. I want Chelsea here. So do the guys."

"We appreciate it. She was really excited when you invited her." Steve smiled. "Thanks for including her the way you have. It's really helped."

I was doing my best. "I like having her around. She's a great kid."

"She is," her mother said softly. "She hasn't stopped talking about your visit to her school. I'm pretty sure she's a legend there right now."

Good. "I'll definitely have to go by again soon. It was fun."

"Well, we should be going. We'll come back over around eight to get her, if that's okay?"

"Sure, if you want. Or I could bring her home after the game. I don't know when her bedtime is. Or, you know, you're welcome to stay." I issued the invitation again. They'd turned me down, but I figured it was worth a try.

Joyce smiled sadly. "I just…can't. Football was so important to Danny, and it's too hard."

Steve slipped an arm around her. "We're just going to go out to dinner, try to-" He broke off and shrugged. "I don't know."

"I get it." I couldn't blame them for trying to forget for a while. It had to suck ass.

Giggles erupted from the living room. "Edward! Rainbow's on top of the piano!"

"God. I haven't heard her laugh like that in months." Joyce's smile brightened. "You're good for her. This is good for her. Thank you."

This was my opening. "She really likes animals." I shifted in the doorway. "Listen, I know this is kind of weird to ask, but is there a reason that you guys don't have any pets? I mean, like are you allergic or do you hate animals or anything?"

Steve shook his head. "No. We were actually considering getting a dog, but then Danny got sick the first time and it was just too much for us."

Good. I totally understood that. "Well, I'm not trying to push you guys or anything; it's just, Chelsea really lit up whenever I mentioned Rainbow and when that Sari girl started talking about her cat."

Should I? Well, why the fuck not? "This might seem kind of weird, but Rainbow…I talk to her. Like, about the stuff that bothers me or worries me. She's like, an outlet for me or something. And I was thinking maybe Chelsea-hell, maybe all of you-could use one."

Neither one said anything. Fuck. "Sorry if I'm overstepping. It was just a suggestion."

Chelsea chose that moment to walk back toward the door, holding Rainbow like a baby in her arms. "Look, Edward! She lets me hold her. Bella says that's really rare."

No shit it was. "That's for sure, kid. She usually only likes for me or Bella to hold her. She must think you're really special."

The girl positively beamed. "Did you hear that, Mom? She likes me!"

"Of course she does, Chels. You're the coolest."

Chelsea grinned. "I get to have a cupcake when they're cool. They just came out of the oven. Bella says I can help decorate them."

"That sounds great, baby. Will you save me one?" Steve asked, smiling at her.

"Sure. I'll decorate one special for each of you."

"That sounds great," Joyce told her.

"Bella says that Rainbow likes to lick the icing and I can let her have a tiny bit from my finger. Isn't that neat?"

I ruffled her hair. "Just take your finger away the instant the icing is off…Rainbow will keep right on licking and might nibble you to try to get it all. Like this." I tickled her neck, making her shriek and twist away.

"Edward! That tickles!"

"So does Rainbow's tongue. You'll see."

She laughed and headed down the hallway. "I'm going to see right now!"

Joyce and Steve exchanged a glance as they watched their daughter run off. "You might be right about the pet thing," he said.

I shrugged. "It's totally up to you. Rainbow's therapeutic for me, and I can tell her things that I don't want anyone else to know. We can all use an outlet like that from time to time."

Joyce nodded. "This is true. We'll give it some thought."

I nodded. That was all I could ask. "Okay."

"We should get going. If you're really okay with her staying for the whole game, she can. We can come get her after it's done."

"No. I'll bring her home, if that's okay. That way you don't have to try to figure out when it's over. I don't want to watch another team celebrate anyway, not until it's mine."

Steve chuckled. "I hear that. Maybe next year."

"I'll do my best," I promised them.

Joyce hugged me and Steve shook my hand before they left. I watched them go before heading into the kitchen, where Reed Girl and Chelsea were laughing as Chelsea held out a finger for Rainbow to lick.

"Look, Edward! It tickles!"

"Told you, kid." I patted her back before ruffling Rainbow's fur. Then I stuck my finger in the bowl, making Chelsea laugh some more.

"That's not for you! It's for the cupcakes."

"Like you didn't steal some?" I saw the glance that passed between her and my wife. "Uh-huh! I knew it! Icing thief!"

I grabbed Chelsea and held her upside down by her ankles, making her shriek. Rainbow hopped down from the kitchen island and rubbed on Chelsea's face. "Beg for mercy, thief, or I'll dump all the icing on your face and let Rainbow lick it all off."

"Mercy! Mercy!" she yelled, laughing as I righted her.

"Your face is all red, kid."

"That's because you held me upside down, dummy! That's what happens."

I tilted my head. "Huh, are you sure? I've never heard of that. I guess we'll have to try it again-a test, if you will."

I took a step toward her, and she yelled and started running. "Come on, Rainbow! Don't let him get me!" They both streaked out of the room.

Reed Girl smiled at me. "You're great with her, you know?"

"This is the lightest I've seen her since I let her talk to Eli on my phone. It makes me happy."

Reed Girl gave me a kiss. "Good. You better go find her before the gang gets here. I need a cupcake sampler to make sure these are edible."

"I'm on it." I kissed her again and headed out to find the girls.

"Yeah, you are."

Xoxoxoxox

"This sucks."

I elbowed Sammy and glanced over to where Chelsea was sitting on the floor, playing with one of Rainbow's feather toys with her.

"What? That's not a curse word, is it?"

I shrugged because I wasn't sure.

Emily shook her head. "Morons. And it doesn't suck. This is a great game."

It was. The first half, had been fuck up after fuck up by both sides, but the Seahawks and Pats had buckled down in the second half and the Patriots were driving.

"It sucks because we're not there," Sammy clarified, slipping his arm around Emily.

"Goes without saying," Colin piped in. He was sitting on the loveseat next to Kim. He'd surprised her with a jersey for her baby and gotten a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He was still fucking glowing from that shit.

Brady and Paul were having a spicy-wing eating contest at the kitchen table. They were adding all sorts of weird sauces and seeing who could go the longest without drinking. Morons.

Reed Girl was cuddled into my side. I had my arm around her and my hand on her belly, where Dani was kicking up a storm. Everyone had taken a turn feeling her kick, much to my irritation. I didn't like all those hands on my wife, but it had been cute when Chelsea had felt the baby kick and deemed it "weird but cool."

The fourth quarter hit, and the game was exciting as hell, but Reed Girl conked out on my shoulder. Chelsea climbed onto my lap and dropped off as well. Rainbow stretched across Chelsea and put her paw on Reed Girl's belly. I wasn't sure if she could feel the baby kicking or not, but she kept her paw there.

Sammy grinned. "Somehow, I get the feeling this picture will repeat itself in the years ahead."

I had to admit, I was looking forward to it. "I could get used to this."

"You're gonna have to." He glanced at the kitchen, where Emily had wandered to get another drink. "Is it scary?"

I glanced at the little girl in my lap and tightened my arm around my sleeping wife. "Right now? No. It's incredible."

"It looks it."

There was something about his tone that sounded wistful. "You don't have some news for me, do you?"

Sammy laughed quietly. "Shit, no. It's only been a month." But he smiled over at Emily. "But I can see it, you know? The house, the wife, the kids…it doesn't feel years off anymore."

I had to laugh. "I know what you mean. That was the furthest thing from my mind when Bella came along. A month later, I was ready for her to move in, and we were engaged a little more than a year after that. I wasn't supposed to get married until I was thirty or so. Look at me now."

"You look happy. And right where you're supposed to be."

There wasn't a doubt about it. "I am."

"I feel like I'm heading that way." Sammy jutted his chin toward the loveseat. "And what about them? Do you think they're headed anywhere?"

I followed his gaze toward Kim and Colin. He was paying absolutely no attention to the game. They were talking quietly, and his eyes never left her face.

"I don't know. I'd say that's entirely up to her. She's got a baby to think about, first and foremost. I'd say Colin is ready to go all in, but who knows with her. Kids complicate things."

Dani took that moment to kick my hand, making me laugh. "Okay, kid, you're right. And they make them better."

Sammy raised an eyebrow at me.

"Dani kicked me when I said kids complicate things."

He laughed. "She's gonna be a handful, Cullen."

"Don't I know it." But I was really looking forward to it, more and more every day.

Emily came back, and the Pats scored to take the lead with less than a minute to go. The yells from, well, all of us as the Seahawks started driving woke Reed Girl and Chelsea, and we all watched the improbable interception with stunned disbelief.

"That was a stupid call," Chelsea announced. "Why didn't they run?"

"Well, with the defensive personnel they had on the field, it was actually…" Fuck that noise. They had Marshawn Lynch. "You're right. It was a dumb call."

"It's time to go home now, huh?" She petted Rainbow, looking for all the world like she wanted to stay.

"Yeah. Someone has school tomorrow."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll all be getting together soon to talk football camp. I need your help to get these guys back in shape."

She eyed Brady, who was still chowing on wings. "Some need help for sure."

He scowled at her. "It's the offseason. I'm allowed to take a few weeks off."

"Okay. But don't cry when I knock you over."

I laughed as I lifted her and got to my feet. "You tell him, Chels. I don't need any outta shape lineman blocking for me, not if we're going to be in this game next year."

"Yeah. Put down the chicken and eat the celery."

He tossed a celery stick at her, which I caught with my free hand. "No throwing food in my new house, moron."

"Yeah, that's bad manners," Chelsea told him.

Everybody laughed, and we said our good-byes to the gang. Rainbow followed us to the door. I put Chelsea down and let her pet Rainbow for a few more moments.

"Can I come back and visit her?"

"Of course. We need to get her used to girls, don't we? You're my consultant. That's your job."

"Thanks, Edward." She got a few more head-butts from Rainbow. "I had fun."

"You'll have a lot more to come, kiddo. I promise." I was going to see to it.

Xoxoxoxox

Edward! Guess what? Mom and Dad said I can get a kitty! They said it was your idea. Was it? We're going to the shelter on Saturday! Do you want to come?

I grinned at the text message when I pulled up in front of the house. I was so glad Steve and Joyce had decided to let her get a pet. Maybe I was biased, but I really thought it would help her-and hopefully them as well. They all needed something. To talk to someone. Jasper had asked me if they were getting counseling, but I didn't know the answer to that. Nor did I know if it was my place to ask or to suggest it. Like Reed Girl said, everyone had to grieve in their own time and their own way. Hopefully the cat would help them some.

Before I got out of the car, I glanced up and had to grin when I saw my wife sitting in the window seat. She waved at me before going back to her book. Nine times out of ten, if she was home, she was curled up reading there. It was fucking awesome.

I let myself in and shed my winter gear. The snow was pretty as hell but a fucking pain in the ass. I headed upstairs and stopped when I heard my wife's voice. She was reading to Dani. It was something she'd started since we'd moved in, and it was cute as hell. Dani liked her voice, always kicking when Reed Girl read to her.

"But I need him. Schmarya needs him desperately. When Schmarya is well enough to stand trial… Well, it mustn't happen. That's why I'm doing this, Schmarya. For you."

What the fuck kind of name was Schmarya? I stifled a laugh and listened to my wife read on.

"And then, curiously, the nausea she had felt was replaced by a surge of lusty warmth. But she stood there resolutely, trembling, afraid to give in to it. It had been so long since she had slept with a man. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be held."

Wait, what? What the fuck was she reading to our daughter?

"Vaslav slid a hand down to her groin. She could feel his smooth fingers gliding over her mound…"

"What in the hell are you reading?" I demanded as I hurried around the corner.

Reed Girl smiled and flashed me the book cover. Dazzle by Judith Gould? What the fuck?

"That doesn't look like Dr. Suess to me. Nor does it sound like it."

My wife just laughed at me. It was then that I noticed that Rainbow was stretched across her belly. She'd been doing that more and more lately. She fit over the bump nicely.

"Dani can't tell what I'm reading yet, Edward. She hears my voice and my tone. I could be reading the dictionary, and it wouldn't matter."

Says her. "You don't know what she can understand. Nobody knows. You could be planting ideas in her head, about touching groins and sleeping with fucked-up Russians! It's just wrong. She's just a baby." I glared at my wife, who was chuckling away at my rant. "Why are you reading that shit, anyway?"

She smirked at me. "Because my husband wasn't home to entertain me in other ways. I had to read about Senda getting some since I wasn't."

Well, then. I grabbed her smutty book and chucked it over my shoulder while she laughed and scooted away. Rainbow, annoyed at the movement, hopped off and curled in the corner. I scooped Reed Girl into my arms and carried her toward our bedroom.

She laughed and put her arms around me. "This is very dashing and romantic. Have you been reading my book?"

I had to laugh as I put her on the bed. "I don't go for groins and mounds, Reed Girl. I'm all about the pussy."

Before she could respond, I had my hands on her, followed by my mouth. And unless the word "yes" was the same in Russian as it was in English, I drove all thoughts of her silly book out of her mind.

"Well, that was definitely a nice welcome home," Reed Girl murmured later, when we were both sweaty and breathless.

"I couldn't have you doubting my manhood after reading that stupid book," I told her, kissing her neck and making her giggle.

"The only manhood in that book is the throbbing kind," she said, laughing. "I picked it up when you pulled in the driveway. I was really reading Pride and Prejudice."

I rolled to face her. "You were just fucking with me?"

She nodded, looking delighted with herself. "Yeah. It was fun." I poked her side and made her shriek. "That book was my mom's. Seriously, it's older than we are. It's from 1989." She wrinkled her nose. "I have no idea how it got in my things, but once I looked through it, I couldn't resist."

Sure she didn't. She laughed at my disbelieving look.

"You're a mean woman, Mrs. Cullen. Getting me all worked up like that."

She smiled and stroked her fingers through my hair. "I got you worked up and worked out. It did the job nicely."

I couldn't argue with her results. "Yeah, it worked out well enough for both of us." I touched her cheek. "But could you please not read that shit to our daughter? Even as a joke?"

She giggled and kissed my nose. "I guess I can agree to that."

I blew out a breath of relief.

"You're too easy, Cullen."

"Only for you, Reed Girl."

xoxoxoxox

"Come on, Edward! Let's go!"

I laughed as Chelsea came up to me, hands on her hips. She was beyond excited.

"Can I get my wife out of the car first, kiddo?"

"I guess. But hurry." She tapped her feet impatiently as I helped Reed Girl from the car.

"Someone's excited," Reed Girl murmured, smiling at Chelsea. "Thank you for inviting us to help you pick out your kitty. We're pretty excited about it ourselves."

"Mom said it was Edward's idea. Was it?"

I nodded. "Sure, kid. I figured you could use your own Rainbow. You'll have to take good care of him or her and be sure to clean up after them, feed them, and love them, you know?"

Chelsea nodded emphatically. "I know! We talked about it. She can sleep with me, but only if I make sure to feed her every day, and I have to brush her fur and help with the litter box." She wrinkled her nose at that. "I think that's better than having to clean up after a dog outside, though. At least it gets dried in the box."

I had to laugh, even though I kind of agreed. Something about the idea of scooping up fresh shit was disgusting to me. Thank God Rainbow buried her shit well.

"I agree. Shall we head in?"

"Yes!" Chelsea took my hand and practically dragged me over to her parents.

"She was up at five this morning, ready to come get her kitty," Joyce told me, laughing at her daughter's exuberance. It was good to see her smiling for real.

"Thanks for including us." Reed Girl hugged both Joyce and Steve. "Edward's brother picked out Rainbow, so we've never actually been to the shelter to pick out a pet." She shot me a look. "I think we're going to have a hard time leaving here without more of our own."

Considering the fact that those animal commercials made her cry even before hormones came along, I knew we were in for a monumental task. But I only had to remind her that Rainbow was enough of a terror on her own, and I knew she'd avoid temptation. Maybe one day, when Dani was older, we'd let her pick out a pet of her own. Maybe.

"Let's go, Edward!" Chelsea was pulling me toward the door.

"Calm down, kid. There are plenty of kitties in there waiting for you. They aren't going anywhere."

"But I have to get the best one! You have to help me."

I smirked at my wife as I held open the door for everyone. "Well, I do have awesome taste. You can't go wrong listening to me."

Reed Girl laughed. "Don't strain yourself patting yourself on the back."

"I won't. I'm very flexible," I whispered as I slipped my free arm around her.

Chelsea guided us toward the kittens. There were so many. I felt bad for them, stuck in their little cages.

"How do you pick?" Chelsea asked, looking around with sad blue eyes.

"Well, I think you let them pick you." I held out a hand, and this little orange kitten gripped my finger through the cage. "See which ones respond to you, and then you take them out and go over to that play area over there." I gestured to the section where a family was playing with a black kitten. "See who you bond with."

Reed Girl smiled at Chelsea. "You should have seen Rainbow with Edward. She definitely picked him out. His brother had actually gotten her for our friend, Rose, but Rainbow wouldn't budge from Edward. She'd sit on his shoulder and hold on for dear life if you tried to take her away from him."

I grinned at the memory. "It's true. I had no plans to have a cat pretty much ever, but Rainbow changed all that."

"Rainbow is in charge. We just live to serve her," Reed Girl said with a smile. "That's pretty much how cats think, I think."

"Eh, we serve each other," I decided, playing with a beige kitten that was batting at me through the cages.

Reed Girl let out a wistful sigh.

I hugged her to me. "We've got enough on our plates right now, baby. I know it sucks to see them all here, needing homes."

Chelsea and her parents moved up and down the cages, checking the cats and kittens out as I held my wife to me. "Maybe we can't have another right now, but we can help. I'll write them a big check when we leave."

"Okay." Reed Girl sniffled into my shirt. "I just feel so bad for them."

"I know, baby." I did, too. "Maybe we could ask them to use some of the money to build a big play area, to let them out of their cages so they could stretch out and have some fun."

"And we could get them some of that furniture, like Rainbow has, to climb on." Her tears dried up, and she smiled brightly. "I want to do that."

I had to smile at my wife. She had the biggest heart. "We'll do that, then."

"Okay."

"Edward! Come here!"

Reed Girl and I headed to the cage that Chelsea was indicating. Inside was a pair of orange and white kittens with bright blue eyes. They were almost identical; except one had white paws and the other had orange.

"Look! They're fighting over me."

And they kind of were. One would get to the front and the other would shove it out of the way. Chelsea laughed with delight as they wrestled and tried to get to her.

"Maybe we should take them out," I suggested.

Joyce opened the cage, and Chelsea scooped both kittens up, hurrying to the play area.

We stood together and watched as they tumbled all over her, climbing onto her lap and batting one another off.

"It's like they're playing King of the Mountain or something," I said, laughing along with Chelsea as the white-pawed one took down the orange.

"This was a good idea," Steve said. "Thanks for thinking of it."

"It'll be good for her. And hopefully for all of you. You should get down there and play with them," I suggested.

Steve and Joyce went to join their daughter with the kittens. They were all laughing and smiling as the kittens climbed and batted and played.

"Edward, what are they? Boys or girls?" Chelsea called, laughing as one of them started pulling on her zipper.

I looked at the cards on the cage. "The one with the orange feet is a boy, white feet is a girl."

"Okay. So they're like twins right?"

I saw her parents exchanging sad looks. "Well, I don't know if they call cats that, but yeah. They're brother and sister."

Chelsea pursed her lips and nodded. "I thought so. Can I have both?" she asked her parents. "They're a brother and sister, and they shouldn't be split up. Not when they don't have to be."

Joyce had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Chels, I don't know. That's a lot of work."

"I'll take care of them. They need each other to play with when I'm at school and you're working. Please? They're twins, like me and Danny. It's not fair to separate them when they're both healthy."

Fuck me. I was ready to offer to pay for all their food and vet bills all of their lives if her parents said no. Or fuck, we'd take the other one and she could visit it whenever she wanted. Rainbow might kill me, but I wasn't about to let those kittens be parted, not when she saw them as herself and Danny.

"Do you promise to take good care of them? To make sure they always have fresh water and food and they go to the vet on time and everything?" her father asked.

She nodded, wide-eyed. "Yes, Daddy. I'll take care of them, and they'll take care of each other, just like Danny and I did. We'll have a lot of fun."

"Pets are fun, but they're also a responsibility. They're going to be yours if we say yes," Joyce reminded her.

"I promise. Please, Mom? Dad?"

They looked at each other and nodded. "Okay, then. We'll get both."

"Edward! Look! They're both mine!" Chelsea hugged the squirming kittens to herself.

I cleared my throat, willing away the lump that had formed when she mentioned her brother.

"That's great, Chels. You better think up some cool names."

"What's the name of the Seminole horse again?" she asked, coming over to me and holding out her kittens.

"Renegade." I took the white-pawed one.

"Okay. That'll be her name. I'll call her Renny."

I smiled. "Renny, huh? That's original. I like that. And what about this little guy?" I asked, rubbing the soft head of the kitten she held.

"He'll be Eli, after my old favorite player."

Ha! "He actually looks a little like Eli, now that I think about it."

She studied her kitten. "Yeah, he does."

"Renny and Eli are great names," Reed Girl told her.

"Thanks. Can they meet Rainbow?"

I laughed. "Someday, sure. Let's not traumatize them on their first day home, though. Rainbow is tough on fellow cats."

"She'll like them. I know she will. She should have a brother. You could get one today."

"Maybe one day, kiddo. Rainbow has enough to deal with right now, with the new house and a baby on the way. You'll find out that cats don't like change so much."

"Okay. But mine have each other, so they'll be okay, right?"

I touched her nose. "They have each other and you. They'll be great."'

"They will." She came into my arms, careful not squish her kittens. "Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome, Chelsea." I whispered into her ear. "You know what nobody tells you about pets?"

She shook her head.

"They're the best listeners around. You can tell them all about it when you're sad or upset, and they can't tell anyone else. They'll just be there to love and support you."

"Really?" She stepped back and looked into my eyes. "They'll do that?"

"Oh yeah. Rainbow knows more about me than just about anyone else, except for Bella. Renny and Eli can listen to you, if you let them."

"You tell Rainbow secrets? And feelings?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. She's not just a pet. She's one of my best friends." I felt kind of like an idiot saying it out loud, but it was fucking true.

"Rainbow's my friend, too. And she's going to be Renny's and Eli's friends. And they're going to be my best friends."

"Well, I think that sounds like a very good plan, kiddo. Why don't we head up front so you can adopt them and make them your best friends officially?"

"Okay, let's go!" She was back to full energy, clutching her kittens to herself. "I want to show them their home."

And she was off. Joyce came up and kissed my cheek. "Thank you for this idea. She, well, none of us really feel like being at home without Danny. This is the first time I've seen her excited to go home since before Christmas."

"I'm glad. It was good of you to get them both. I think she needed that."

"She did." Steve clapped me on the back. "We'd better get up there before she signs them out herself."

Reed Girl took my hand as we followed them toward the front. "That was good, Cullen. Really good."

"Do you think we're going to be able to say no when Dani wants a couple kittens?" I asked.

Reed Girl laughed. "Hell no. We'll have to leave that to Rainbow. She'd be a tougher sell than we would."

So true. Rainbow should probably be in charge. She was the toughest of all of us.