B R O T H E R
O F
T H E
B R I D E
·
W E D D I N G
T O A S T
For Emma
&
James
A
TOAST
,
GIVEN
WITH
LOVE
Good evening, everyone.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Sam — Emma's older brother. And I'd
like to share that, for the first eighteen years of her life, Emma believed just
about everything I told her. I convinced her that the ice cream truck only
played music when it had sold out. She no longer believes that — which is now
James's problem.
Growing up, Emma was the loudest small person I knew. She followed me
everywhere, and I didn't always make it easy for her. But she never stopped
showing up. And somewhere along the way, I stopped being annoyed — and
started being proud.
Proud of the stubborn streak that carried her through every 6 a.m. swim
practice. Proud of the way she moved to a new city alone, and built a whole life
there, making everyone she met feel like an old friend. Emma has a way of
making people feel like they matter. That is simply who she is.
So when she called me, three years ago, there was a nervous little catch in her
voice that I had never heard before. And I knew — before she even said his name
— that this one was different.
Still, I did what any good brother would do. I Googled James. Thoroughly. And
then I Googled his family. The good news: James is clean. Not a single
embarrassing public record. I tried, everyone. There was nothing to find.
But the truth is, I didn't need Google. Because I had never seen Emma like this.
The way she lights up when you walk into a room, James. The way you make her
laugh at herself when she's taking life too seriously. The way the two of you
look at each other when you think no one is watching — that's the whole thing.
That's everything.
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