Everything In Between p.l.

Chapter 30

From the kitchen, Emily peeked out and gave Sam a tired but affectionate look. "You need to get them to pause the game so we can eat. Good luck."

Sam rubbed his face. "Fantastic."

He stepped forward with the tone of a general addressing his troops. "Okay, troops. Put down the lollipops. Dinner time."

"NO!" Jared and Pip shouted at the same time.

"I'm about to win!" Pip cried, clutching her tiny pink pawn like it was a championship trophy.

"I'm about to steal the win!" Jared argued, nudging his piece forward.

"You're about to get launched off this couch," Pip growled.

Sam tried again. "I'm serious. Pause the game. You can finish later."

"There's no pausing in Candy Land!" Embry bellowed, slamming his hand on the board so hard all the pieces jumped.

Sam stood still, eyes narrowing. Then... he picked up a card.

"Move forward to Queen Frostine," he read aloud.

Everyone paused.

"Wait—Sam's playing now?" Jacob asked, half amused.

Sam shrugged, moving his piece forward like he'd been part of the game all along. "Looks like I'm winning now."

"You didn't even have a turn order!" Pip shrieked, launching herself over the arm of the couch to yank the card from his hand. "THIS IS ANARCHY!"

Paul crossed his arms, biting down a smirk as he leaned against the doorframe.

He watched her—hair messy, cheeks flushed, voice pitched in manic glee as she fought for her sugary little kingdom like it was life or death.

It was ridiculous.

It was chaos.

It was her.

And he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Eventually, after much arguing, a suspicious card reshuffle, and one final scream of "IN YOUR FACE, JARED!"—Pip slammed her piece into the Candy Castle and flung her arms into the air.

"I WIN!" she shouted, standing on the couch like a gladiator. "SWEET, GLORIOUS VICTORY!"

Embry fake-wept. Seth applauded dramatically. Jared slumped in defeat. Sam quietly slipped his card back into the deck and acted like he had nothing to do with the final outcome.

Then Paul moved.

He strode toward the couch, grabbed Pip gently by the wrist, and tugged her off her victorious perch.

"Alright, CandyLand queen," he murmured with a crooked grin. "Time to eat before you pass out from competitive rage."

Pip, still high off her win, grinned at him. "You're just jealous I crushed your entire pack."

"I didn't say I wasn't," Paul said, guiding her toward the kitchen.

And with her hand tucked into his, the rest of the chaos faded into background noise.

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Dinner at Sam and Emily's was usually loud—but not like this.

The laughter hadn't quite settled since Candy Land chaos had reigned supreme. Plates were full, drinks poured, and the smell of roasted meat and spices lingered in the air like a warm blanket. Pip sat squished between Paul and Jared at the long wooden table, a plate of food she barely touched in front of her. Her adrenaline hadn't quite faded, and the buzz of emotions under her skin hummed louder than her appetite.