“Will you change your mind about crashing weddings after this weekend? Or did I ruin your
streak since you are technically invited to this one?”
“That award goes to Esther Edmonton.” He picked through the chocolates and came out
with a small square-shaped piece.
“Who is Esther Edmonton?”
“She’s a saucy grandmother I met last year at a wedding I crashed. She asked me to dance
with her, assuming I was one of the groom’s friends. What could I do?”
“Nothing. Clearly. You were trapped.”
“She knew it, too.” He ate the candy and sucked a bit of melted chocolate off his thumb. She
stared for a prolonged beat, parts of her growing warm at the idea of where his mouth had
been tonight. “She used to be a nurse. She told me she was married fifty-two years to a
‘wonderful man’ who she couldn’t wait to see again in heaven.”
Rylee put a hand over her heart. “Aww.”
“It gets better. Esther regretted never having her own children, so she said she hoped her
grandniece—the bride—chose to ‘make babies’ with her husband. Then she asked me if I’d like
to ‘make babies’ and I told her I was flattered, but I was much too young to consider a family
with a woman so out of my league.” Rylee giggled on cue. “And then I gave her the real answer.
I told her I’d love to have kids, but I’m in no rush.”
Rapt, she leaned in.

“Then I asked Esther if I could interview her on camera and we sat and talked for another
forty minutes in a quiet corner of the reception hall. I never put the footage up. It felt private,
you know?”
He picked another chocolate out of the box and offered it to her. She took it, but didn’t eat it
right away. “I’m afraid you’re about to tell me something sad.”
“I am.” He offered a tight smile. “The bride—Brittany— contacted me after she found
footage of me at her wedding. In the email, she said her great-aunt Esther had passed away.
Apparently, Esther had mentioned me multiple times since the wedding, and the fact that she’d
been interviewed. Brittany sought out my channel hoping that I'd posted the interview. I
explained that I’d kept it private, but I was happy to send it to her.” He took a breath before
continuing, obviously saddened about Esther’s passing. Rylee could understand why. She felt
sad too and had never met the woman. “Anyway. I edited a video together and sent it to
Brittany. There were so many great moments, little moments that are normally edited out.
Those are the best parts. Esther looking off to the side. Losing her train of thought and
laughing. Telling me a dirty joke.”
Tears in her eyes, Rylee smiled.
“I knew the moment I finished that edit and emailed it off that I was in the wrong business. I
had taken a left when I should have hung a right. I started out in film school for a reason, and it
had nothing to do with followers, sponsorships or blocking comments from trolls. Ironically, had
I not crashed that wedding, I never would have met Esther and found my way, you know?”
“So, what now?” The story couldn’t end there.
“I’m in deep, Peaches. Like when someone is in the mob. I have sponsorships I’ve agreed to
that I either need to honor or cancel. I have a video schedule to adhere to, although I’m looking
into crashing celebrity charity events to spotlight the charity rather than myself. It’s a pivot, for
sure. Slower than I’d like, but I’ve never been patient.”
“So, you’re going to be a filmmaker after all? Documenting the small moments in life.”
“The best moments are the moments that are usually edited out of the final.” He picked
another chocolate out of the box and tossed it into his mouth. “Like the one we’re having now.”