This got a laugh from the crowd, and I smiled, shifting a bit. I was finding a groove, and it was starting to feel good. As I talked, I scanned the crowd for Franny’s face, but I came up empty.

“But the one thing I’ve never taken for granted is her ability to love. She is kind, and generous, and she gives all of herself to the people she loves. And nowhere is that more evident than when she’s with Lola.”

There was a collective “ahh” from the crowd, and then the room was tinkling again with the sound of people tapping their glasses with silverware. The brides-to-be kissed again, and everyone responded with applause. I raised my glass toward them, and the crowd followed along. If we stopped to do this every few seconds, we’d all be drunk by the end of my toast. I pushed on.

“And, Lola, it’s been so fun getting to know you not just as Perrine’s fiancée, but as a friend as well.”

Lola stuck out her bottom lip and pressed a hand to her heart, mouthing “Thank you” at me.

“There’s a line in the movie Moonstruck”—I paused, nervous about this part of my speech—“which a very smart person once told me is ‘the greatest New York love story of all time.’”

I searched again for Franny in the crowd as I talked, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.

“Nicolas Cage’s character says, ‘Love doesn’t make things nice—it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us.’ Well, you, Perrine and Lola, are as close to perfect as one couple could get. So let’s all raise a glass to love, as messy and imperfect as it can be.”

And in that moment, as everyone around us was raising glasses and cheering, I spotted Franny, off in the back. Her eyes found mine, and I held her gaze, tried to transport everything I felt for her across the room with that one look. God, she was so beautiful.

I blinked and looked away, stepping back and bumping into Lola.

“Nice job, future cousin-in-law.” She leaned in for a hug. “You almost made me cry. Almost.”

“I’m going to assume that’s a compliment,” I teased.

She nodded and gave me an affectionate poke in the shoulder before turning back toward Perrine, which meant I could keep trying to make eye contact with Franny. I looked toward where she’d been standing, but she was gone. I panic-scanned the room and saw her hugging Cleo before walking toward the door. Crap.