Chapter 21 #2
“Okay, I guess I’ll leave her here. Are you sure nobody will mind?”
“There would probably be more people offended that you’re having second thoughts about it,” Kimber said honestly. “Don’t worry. She’ll be safe. I promise.”
I took a deep breath and stood up, trying to reassure myself that Ivy really would be okay if I let the reins go just a little.
Memphis had insisted that gatherings like this were a family tradition, and considering the number of children running around, I knew that most of the adults had plenty of experience caring for children.
I had to bite back the urge to stay and watch over her. I needed to have faith in Memphis and his family to take care of her sometime, and right now seemed like the perfect time to start because I really wanted to get home in time to join my sisters in our own family tradition.
◆◆◆
MEMPHIS
It took a while to make the circuit around the backyard, but I still hadn’t found Cassia when I got back to Gamma and Papa’s porch.
I stepped up onto the deck to give myself a little extra height and slowly scanned the yard while I tried to remember what color shirt she’d been wearing when we got here.
It wasn’t the one she put on after our shower because that one ended up on the floor, and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the color of the shirt she’d replaced it with.
“What’s wrong?” Loyal asked as he and Chevy walked toward me. “Ivy’s over there with Dahlia.”
“I saw that, but I can’t find Cassia.”
“She left through the side gate.” Loyal shrugged. “She was rushing like she was late for something important.”
“How long has she been gone?” I asked. As usual, while listening to my grandpa and his friends–men I’d known my entire life–I’d lost track of time. I’d kept my eye on Ivy during our conversation, but I hadn’t thought to watch for Cassia.
“I’m going to go out front and see if her car is still at the house,” I said as I stepped off the deck and started toward the side gate.
I heard Chevy and Loyal talking, but I didn’t pay attention until I heard Wild ask, “What’s going on?”
I walked down the side of the house and turned the corner.
From the sidewalk in front of Gamma’s house, I could see my driveway.
When I got there, I saw that Cassia and Erisa’s SUVs were both parked where they’d been when we left.
As I was pulling my phone from my pocket, I heard a woman frantically shout, “No! No! No!” over and over again.
The second I realized the screaming was coming from my house, I sprinted across the road and vaulted over the ditch, landing on the grass in front of the short fence that bordered the property.
I cleared the fence and heard the guys running behind me when we hit the gravel track.
I was glad to know they had my back on the off chance there was an intruder inside my house.
“I’ll go to the front door,” Wild said as he sprinted past me. Loyal followed him, and I heard my friend Gray say, “I’m behind you, Mem.”
I ran up the steps and across the porch before I threw the door open and rushed inside.
It was utter chaos. Cassia and both sisters were screaming at the top of their lungs.
Another voice boomed through the portable speaker on the table while a crowd roared from the big screen and two other televisions that I assumed had been dragged from Erisa and Iliana’s rooms.
I skidded to a halt, and Gray bumped into me with a grunt. Wild and my brother stopped in the kitchen, just as confused as I was.
“Hit him! Go low! Low, you bastard!” Cassia yelled as she shot up off the couch and pointed at the big screen.
I looked at the television and saw a blur of motion.
A man slammed into another, but instead of falling, he kept going, dragging the defender down behind him.
The guy on the ground scrambled to get his footing and pull the runner down.
Suddenly, another player joined in the fray, this one from the same team, and then there were two men being dragged down the field.
Cassia was beside herself, jumping up and down as she yelled, “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
A third player in blue slammed into the man still standing. It became a dogpile of bodies scrambling for the ball. The ref wasn’t even trying to stop them, and the crowd in the arena was going just as crazy as Cassia and her sisters were in my damn living room.
“What the fuck?” I looked over my shoulder to find Gray watching the women instead of the TV. He glanced at me and said, “Damn, they’re bloodthirsty!”
When the camera left the men on the field and moved to an announcer, Cassia flopped back onto the couch with a sigh. Suddenly, she realized we were standing there. She made a startled sound and pressed a hand to her chest. “You guys scared the shit out of me.”
Before I had a chance to say anything, the game came back on.
Cassia leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees with an intensity I’d never seen from her.
Wild kept his eyes on the screen as I walked over to stand behind the couch with him and Loyal.
Gray just sat down in the recliner and focused on the match.
I wasn’t sure what was more interesting–the bloodbath on the screen or the violent curses and gestures from the women, who couldn’t remain sitting for longer than ten seconds before jumping up to yell again.
“What the fuck did we just walk into?” Wild asked.
“Holy shit! Those guys are fucking animals,” Loyal said, his eyes wide. He dodged as if someone were about to hit him, and I did the same when another player made contact. Loyal whispered in shock, “How is he walking after that hit?”
“Walking?” Wild whispered in awe. “How is he still alive?”
When one of the players bent over and put his hands on his knees, Erisa yelled, “Walk it off! Come on! Get your shit together!”
“I just can’t watch,” Iliana said, her head dropping back against the cushion as she stared at the ceiling.
I looked from one screen to another. The one on the left had a running commentary about the game on the big screen in the middle, and the TV on the right was broadcasting something completely different.
“Is that classic SNL?” I asked in confusion.
“Did we just walk into an alternate dimension?” Wild asked. “What the fuck is this, and where has it been all of my life?”
“This, my friends, is a real man’s game,” Erisa announced proudly.
“The women are badasses too!” Iliana added.
“Women play this?” Wild asked as he walked around and sat on the couch between Cassia and Iliana. “I want to see that!”
“So do I!” Loyal took a seat on a nearby barstool. “Now, tell me how this shit works.”
I walked over and stood behind Cassia. She leaned back and looked at me upside down. I kissed her before asking, “Do you realize what you’ve started?”
Cassia laughed. “Welcome to the world of rugby! You’ll never look at American football the same way again.”