“We’re killing it, Sugar Bottom!” Dean whispered over his shoulder.

“Hell yeah, Daddypums!”

I was smiling and Dean chuckled behind me. The competitive side of me was ready to temporarily call a truce with him if it meant winning. I had no idea if there was even a prize for winning, but Pearl, The Destroyer of Family Fun at Reunions, didn’t really need a reason to compete–she just needed people to defeat.

“When was the moment you knew he was the one? Mr. Slater! What do you think she said?”

“Our first kiss,” he said simply.

I felt a wave of cold goosebumps go across my skin. I didn’t know why, because the answer was an obvious guess in our situation.

“Correct! Miss Moreno, this one is for all the marbles. Get it right, and you two advance to the final round. Tell us, what do you think he put for the moment he knew?”

I considered the question. I hated to admit it, but I thought I knew Dean well enough to know he wouldn’t put the kiss down as his answer. No. That was too predictable for him. I took a deep breath and raised my voice. “When I threw up on him.”

“Wow!” Both hosts jumped up and pumped their fists in the air as the crowd cheered for us. “That’s correct! Ladies and gentlemen, what a close game! But we have our winners!”

Dean got up from his chair and helped me up from mine. He gave me a significant look as I took his hand, eyes sparkling with some mischief and unknown thoughts. “We kicked the shit out of them!” he whispered excitedly.

“Maybe we’re not such a bad team,” I said.

“Okay! Thank you so much, but you four can go back to your seats.” The hosts were escorting the others back to their seats so only Dean and I remained. “This last round will decide if you get the grand prize or the consolation prize. There are two games. The first is called the Pumping Popper. The second is Kiss ‘em Like You Mean It.”

A wave of dread ran through me. Neither of those names sounded good. In fact, they sounded very bad. Especially that last one.

The second host came jogging back with a big cardboard box full of inflated balloons.

“Is everybody ready to see some pumping pops!?” the host yelled. All of our coworkers cheered and roared. I was surprised by how excited everyone sounded, but then again, I guess people didn’t really expect to have any genuine fun at a work event. They also all knew me as the girl who hardly ever took risks. Watching me embarrass myself on stage was probably extra fun for them.

“Now, just to turn the tables a bit,” the host continued. “Dean is going to be the one holding the balloons, and Miss Moreno is going to be the pumping popper. Does that sound good?!”

Another round of applause greeted her.