Chapter 15 - The Toast
At dinner, Vivian asked permission before making a toast.
That detail made Tessa smile.
Vivian stood.
A year earlier, I would have tensed.
This time I listened.
“I spent much of my life believing that family tradition meant preserving what came before us.”
She looked at Caleb.
“Then my children taught me that sometimes loving a family means allowing the next generation to do things differently.”
She turned toward Tessa.
“I once tried to choose your wedding.”
A few guests shifted.
Vivian continued.
“Today I’m grateful simply to have been invited to witness it.”
She raised her glass.
“To the family Caleb and Tessa choose to build.”
That was all.
No announcement.
No expectation.
May you like
No correction.
And somehow the shortest toast Vivian Sutton had ever given became the most meaningful.
