Amaryllis and Chris have been in love since…forever. Even if Amaryllis didn’t realize it until Chris fell off a ladder. A year later, they’re working and planning toward a wedding. Eventually. When they get enough money built up, and can take the time to do it.

Unfortunately, Amaryllis forgot Thanksgiving. Her mother decided that since she forgot it, she could make it. And that would have been fine, if the turkey hadn’t suddenly been the worst thing ever.

Now, she’s got three weeks to plan her own wedding, and only four hundred dollars to pay for it. But she’ll manage. It’ll work.

It just has to.

In a world where virtual reality gaming lets players shape their own stories, Nick desperately wants to join the beta test for Omen Galaxica’s revolutionary AI update. There’s just one catch – he needs a partner who’s never played before. Enter his mother Amanda, currently on bedrest during a difficult pregnancy. Together, they must rebuild the destroyed village of Donner’s Beck while defending it from a notorious griefer intent on wreaking havoc. But as virtual and real worlds blur, both Nick and Amanda discover that games aren’t just about escape… they’re about connection, growth, and finding your place in a rapidly changing world.

A heartwarming tale of family, friendship, and finding meaning in unexpected places, perfect for:

• Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z (and boomers who know)

• parents and teens and people in-between

• gamers and people who love but are baffled by people who game

• dragon, AI, and pizza enthusiasts