Page 32 of Rowdy Hearts

Scooping Krista into my arms, I hugged her close, loving the way my daughter’s arms wrapped around my neck and squeezed.

“Miss Raffi and I went shopping, and we got stuff for the rishual.”

“And what stuff did you get for the ritual?”

“Stuff to eat! She said we had to have sussefance.”

I smiled at Krista’s adorable mispronunciations. “And what kind of sustenance did you get?”

“Well, Miss Raffi said we had to have some good stuff, but we got popcorn and gummy bears too, because Miss Raffi said we gotta be a little bad.”

“What I said was, you have to be a little badsometimes. Oh good, we didn’t miss anything. They’re just getting started.”

Raffi smiled at me in a way that couldn’t help but make me feel wrapped in a warm, fuzzy hug. I don’t know how she managed that. The woman just seemed like every cliché ever written of the perfect wife and mother. Of course, she couldn’t be. No one was that perfect.

“Why don’t we sit down and get ready for the festivities to start.”

I moved over so Krista and Raffi could sit next to me. By the time they were settled, the guys had moved the flaming tub to the center of the rink, where the team formed a circle around it. All of the guys held something, mostly pieces of paper. Some of the guys had what looked like stuffed animals, and there were a fewthings I couldn’t make out. And yes, the rookie was holding the jockstraps.

I still wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen, but strangely, I couldn’t wait to see. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, and I barely wanted to admit it to myself, but I was fascinated by Rowdy. Big, boisterous, loud. Someone I never would’ve found attractive before but now couldn’t seem to look away from. What did he always find so amusing? I’d never met anyone who smiled as much as he did. He couldn’t be that happy all the time. It just wasn’t possible.

“Do they do this every year?”

I spoke in a near-whisper as I saw other people sliding into seats throughout the arena. No one sat too close to the ice, as if they were giving the team privacy.

I felt like a voyeur, watching something forbidden. Or sacred. Which was totally ridiculous. They were playing a game, not fighting fires or curing cancer. But as more and more people filtered into the stands, the quieter it seemed to get. It almost felt like church, or at least what I remembered of church from the few times I’d been in one.

“Yes. It’s been a tradition since the second season.” Raffi kept her voice low, as well. “The boys don’t like to admit they’re superstitious, but they don’t mess with traditions.”

“Rookies, listen up!”

Rowdy’s voice rang through the arena, make a little shiver run up my spine and…lower.

“Hockey is a game, but it’s also a way of life.”

I snuffled a laugh, my eyes wide as I turned to Raffi to share the joke. But Raffi wasn’t laughing. And neither was anyone else in the arena. Luckily, Raffi’s attention was firmly fixed on the ice, so she hadn’t seen my reaction. Quickly, I refocused my gaze. Back to Rowdy.

“We are family. We take care of each other. We watch each other’s back. We kick the shit out of anyone who messes withour family. We help each other reach our goals. We score goals!”

The guys cheered, though it sounded more like a roar, raising their sticks in the air.

“And today, we offer the hockey gods our sacrifices for a great season.”

Another roar, this one louder.

“Rookies, did you bring your offering?”

A few of the younger guys looked at each other, shaking their heads, their expressions ranging from disdain to confusion. But none of them said a word, just held up whatever they had in their hands. Rowdy pulled something out of the front of his pants. And damn, if that didn’t make me think about putting my hands there, as well.

I shoved that thought out of my head as fast as it’d popped in. I didn’t need that floating around, giving me ideas I couldn’t do a damn thing about. Because we weren’t staying long. Just a few days. I couldn’t sleep with Rowdy. Okay, sleep was not what I wanted to do with Rowdy, but I couldn’t have sex with him either.

Why not?

Because I couldn’t. Just nope-nope-nope.

“My offering to the hockey gods,” he continued. “The x-ray of my torn ACL two years ago. I’ve been holding onto this since then, knowing I would need it. I burn this as insurance against injury this season.”

Rowdy threw the x-ray into the flaming barrel and a few of the guys began to chant, “Burn, burn, burn” as it caught fire. After Rowdy, it was Rebel’s turn. Then Bobby. One after another, until every member of the team had thrown something into the flames.

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