Emily and Adam's story begins on Date #6. Why #6? Before Date #6, as far as her friends were concerned, it was not Emily and Adam, it was Emily and A. Simply the letter A. But, Date #6, at the famous Beach Brunch, was more special than most. And Adam, as she now referred to him, was also more special than most. This allowed Emily to break the rules, the rules that Emily herself had made. And rule #1 at Beach Brunch: no guys, unless it was serious.

Adam didn't know about the rules or his moniker or that Emily asked her friends to bring husbands and boyfriends to make him more comfortable. Not that that was necessary. The afternoon turned to evening, the bottles of bubbly were piled high (upon Emily's insistence), desserts were ordered and eaten (upon Adam's insistence), the crew got smaller, interrogating gave way to laughter and stories. All the while Adam and Emily got closer and hands were held tighter as their smiles grew bigger.

Of course, none of this would have happened without a certain SuperSwipe on the dating app Bumble. Adam was taken with Emily's beautiful smile, running prowess and kindness to all creatures (big AND small cats). Emily, also noticing Adam's Brooklyn Half Marathon running pictures, eventually swiped back and said hi. Adam asked about one of the many cats in Emily's pictures. Emily, at her flirtiest, asked about supply chain issues for Adam's business. The sexy banter led to a planned first date at the Dakota Bar on the Upper West Side.

But the first date almost didn't happen. Emily, having so much fun enjoying the famous Beach Brunch, was torn between staying with her friends or giving the Bumble Guy a chance. He seemed nice and it was too late to cancel. Amanda, Sara and Emily S. encouraged her to go. They told her, just as she had encouraged them so many times before, that this first date could be special. So special, as she would say, that this first date could be her last first date - and they were right!

Emily fell head over heels for Adam's kindness, caring nature, and infectious sense of fun. As their relationship grew, Adam continued to go out of his way to make Emily feel loved and supported. He went to her races to cheer her on, tolerated her obsession with cats and her need to listen to podcasts at 2x speed, and moved with her into her dream apartment on the Upper West Side. Emily loves to say that Adam makes all her dreams come true.

Adam has never felt so happy and so loved. He is lucky to have a partner to share his ups and downs, to cruise the world and to run with.

Emily and Adam ran the final 9 miles of the NYC Marathon side by side. At mile 17 Adam saw Emily waiting for him, and without breaking his stride or saying a word, they united as if they had been running the whole race together, as if they had been running their whole lives together. At the finish line Adam shocked Emily with the tears in his eyes and the emotion in his voice. Down on one knee he shocked her again with a ring. He said that they were at the finish line but that it was only the beginning. Emily agreed.