Amber was eighteen when her son, Brendan, was born. Her husband, Brendan’s father, had died suddenly when she was six month’s pregnant. Amber was now thirty-six and Brendan was eighteen and on his way to college with a full academic scholarship. He was the perfect son Amber couldn’t have asked for any better. The only thing about Brendan that was not perfect was his vision. Brendan was blind.

“Brendan, are you sure you will be all right?” Amber asked anxiously gazing up fondly at her handsome son.

“Mom, I will be fine. Scott is going to be there. He’s my roommate, remember?” Brendan laughed. “Besides, Mom, we were there just last week and took a tour of the grounds with Shadow.” Amber turned to the beautiful, pure black German Shepherd. Shadow was Brendan’s constant companion and guide dog. She was only three years old and had belonged to Brendan for two of those years.

“All right, Brendan. I will stop worrying as long as you have Scott and Shadow.” Amber turned to Scott Hansen with a warm smile. “Take care of yourself and watch out for Brendan, would you?” Amber whispered as she hugged him.

“He’ll be all right, Mrs. Hale.” Scott answered with a smile.

“Be good, boys! I love you, Brendan!” Amber called as the boys climbed into the car.

“Bye, Mom! Take care! I love you too!”

Amber watched as the car with her son drove away. Thanksgiving just seemed so far away. Slowly, she turned and walked back to the house. She stopped at the front door and couldn’t bring herself to go inside. Finally, she went inside. She stared around at the suddenly quiet and empty house. She decided to go to the health club and work out for an hour or so.

Amber trotted upstairs and went to her room and changed. She pulled on a pair of blue shorts and a pink tank top. She pulled on white ankle socks and a pair of tennis shoes. She stuffed a towel, deodorant, brush and her wallet into her gym bag. She then pulled her long reddish hair into a ponytail. She grabbed up her bag and went out to her car.

Amber entered the health club and was happy to see that it was fairly deserted. There were a couple of people working on the stair steppers and one gentleman was working with weights. Amber went to the women’s locker room and pulled her towel from her bag and then locked the bag into a locker. She took the key, placed it on a chain she had around her neck and went to work out.

Amber went to the indoor track for a jog. Before jogging she stretched. As she stood up, a man stopped in front of her.

“Amber, is that you?”

“I’m sorry..........” She looked up into a pair of green eyes that sparked memories of long ago. “Matt Sheldon?”

“I can’t believe it’s you!” Matt exclaimed softly. “How many years, Amber? Is Charlie with you?”

At the name of her dead husband, Amber closed her eyes for a moment. Even the mention of her beloved husband still hurt. Would it ever stop?

“Charlie died over eighteen years ago, Matt. He was killed in a car accident.” Amber’s voice broke on those final words. She still remembered so vividly that night when the police officers had come to her door. They had been so kind and gentle, but it hadn’t hurt any less. Slowly, she shook away the painful memories and came back to the present. Matt was standing looking completely stunned. Amber could see the tears in his eyes that he wouldn’t allow to fall. Her heart went out to him.

Matt had been like a brother to Charlie. In fact, they had grown up together. They had both lived in the same neighborhood until Matt had gone into the Air Force.

“Matt, are you all right?” Amber asked placing a hand on Matt’s muscular arm.

“I am stunned. I had always meant to get in touch with you both, but I had been kept pretty busy with my job.” He looked at Amber. “Are you available for dinner this evening, Amberling?” He asked using the nickname he had always used for her while they were in school.

“For you, my dear friend, I am available.” Amber answered with a sweet smile at the handsome man. She had never noticed how good-looking he was until this very moment.

“Great! Can I pick you up?” With a laugh, Amber told him where she lived. After Matt had left, Amber’s spirits were buoyed and she looked forward to her date with an old friend.

That evening, Matt and Amber went to one of the few drive-in movies that were left in the United States. They sat talking instead of watching the movie. Soon, the talk turned to more personal topics.

“Amber, did you know that I had a crush on you in high school?”

“No, I didn’t.” Amber said with a surprised look in Matt’s direction.

“Well, I did. I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world.” He said softly his green eyes gazing steadily into her blue ones. “I still do.”

“Why didn’t you ever say something?” Amber asked blushing at the compliment.

“You were so wrapped up in Charlie, I knew I never had a chance with you.” He answered without bitterness. Matt reached over and took her hand in his. “I hope maybe this time we can get to know each other and get a little closer.”

“I would like that.” Amber answered somewhat shyly. Slowly, she reached up and kissed him on the lips. Matt looked down at her in the semidarkness and pressed his lips to hers in a warm, passionate kiss. He pulled her close to him and continued the kiss. Moments later, he broke the kiss. Matt brushed her soft cheek with gentle fingers.

“You are so lovely tonight, Amber.”

Thanksgiving had come and gone. Brendan had not come home, but had gone to a friend’s home for the Thanksgiving holidays. Amber had not been lonely. Of course she had missed her beloved son, but she and Matt had spent a lovely day together.

Now, it was a week before Christmas. Brendan was home filling the once lonely house with laughter and joy. Matt and Brendan seemed to hit it off very well. Amber watched the two men as they talked about some of Brendan’s classes in college. She smiled thoughtfully as she washed the dinner dishes.

The next week, Amber spent a lot of her time cooking wonderful things for the holiday. There were all different kinds of cookies. She even made brownies and apple turnovers.

Finally, Christmas morning arrived. Brendan was thrilled over the leather briefcase Matt had bought him. He exclaimed happily over the new computer Amber had bought him. It had everything he needed to write up term papers and even email. All he had to do was speak to the computer and it would do what he wanted it to do.

After all the presents had been opened, Amber sat back and enjoyed the serene scene before her. She watched Brendan hooking up his computer and playing with it. She even watched Shadow chewing on a giant rawhide bone.

Amber looked up as Matt came over to her with a small gift-wrapped box in his hand. He sat down next to her on the sofa. He leaned over and kissed her warmly. He then handed her the box with a smile.

Eagerly, Amber ripped off the wrapping and opened the box.

“Oh my!” She exclaimed. Inside the box was a beautiful aquamarine stone set in gold with small diamonds surrounding it. Aquamarine was her birthstone. “Oh, Matt! It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept this.”

“You have to, Amber. I am asking you to marry me.” Matt said lowering his voice slightly.

Amber sat stunned for a solid minute. Suddenly, she turned to Matt and threw her arms around his neck. Her lips met his in an ardent kiss. She pressed herself hard against him and intensified the kiss. Deliberately slow, Amber broke the kiss and looked into his brilliant green eyes.

“Yes, Matt, I will marry you.” Amber answered softly.

“I love you, Amber Marie Hale.”

“I love you too, Matthew Dylan Sheldon.”

Later that evening, Amber and Matt stood out on the porch alone. Brendan had gone to visit a friend. They left the porch light off and stared out at the beautiful winter scene that lay before them. Matt turned to Amber and pulled her into his strong arms. Amber looked up into his handsome face with a smile.

“Do you think Brendan will be all right with our getting married, love?” Matt asked with a little concern for the feelings of the blind eighteen-year-old. :He has had you all to himself for eighteen years. This could really be difficult for him.”

“I hope he will, Matt. I love him dearly, but I am so lonely.” She answered. She leaned against Matt and started to cry.

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“I’m so happy, Matt. I love you so much it hurts. I never thought I would ever love anyone again. After Charlie was killed, life was hard and painful, but I had Brendan to think of. That’s the only thing that kept me going. Even the day we met at the health club, my heart was filled with pain at his memory.”

“How is your heart now, love?” Matt asked holding Amber close.

“Charlie will always be my first love, but you are my soul mate, Matt.” Amber reached up and pressed her mouth to his in an ardent show of deep affection and love for the man holding her close. Matt drew her closer as their kiss became more passionate.

“Mom?” Matt and Amber jerked apart. Amber turned to her son.

“Yes, dear?”

“Mom, I need to talk to you. It’s important.” Brendan said quietly.

“:All right, Brendan, I’ll be in one minute. I want to say ‘good-night’ to Matt.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Brendan turned and walked inside.

Amber turned to Matt with a rueful smile.

“I so enjoyed myself today, Matt. It was lovely. Thank you for the ring.”

“Sweetheart, I just want you to be happy.” Matt smiled down at her. They kissed once again. Matt turned and left.

Amber watched as he left and then went into the house. She wondered what was on Brendan’s mind.

“Mom?” Amber sat down next to her son on the sofa.

“I’m right here, dear. Now, what’s on your mind?” Amber asked holding one of his strong hands.

“Mom, when I started college, I met a girl.” Brendan paused for a moment. “Mom, Shanna and I got married over Thanksgiving.”

Amber sat back stunned beyond belief. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Brendan? Married? She shook her head as if that might make things a little more clear. She knew she had to keep control of herself. She loved Brendan, but this was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his entire life. Slowly, Amber took a deep breath and turned back to Brendan. For one fleeting moment, Amber was glad that Brendan couldn’t see her face.

“When do I get to meet her, Brendan?” Amber asked quietly as she struggled with her desire to scream and yell at the young man before her.

“Can I bring her over tomorrow?”

“Of course. Um, don’t you think you should be spending time with your wife?” Amber asked almost coolly.

“I would like to be with her, Mom.” Brendan said sensing his mother was quite upset. “I’m sorry if I upset you, Mom. Shanna and I fell in love. We want to be with one another for our lifetimes.”

“I understand that more than you will ever know, Brendan. Right now, I feel a bit betrayed by you. We have always been able to talk to one another about everything.” Amber got to her feet. “It hurts me that I had to miss out on your wedding day.”

“We got married at city hall and would like to have a real church wedding.” Brendan answered softly. “I guess I wasn’t thinking about how you would feel, Mom.”

Amber sighed deeply. “Call the girl and tell her to come on over. You two can stay in the guest room. It has a queen-sized bed. I’ll go make it up now.” Amber turned to leave the room. She stopped at the door and turned back. “Oh, Brendan! I hope you can be happy. I love you dearly and that is all I want for you.”

“She makes me very happy, Mom. I couldn’t live without her.” Amber hugged the young man close and then went to make up the bed in the guest room.

She went down to wait for her new daughter-in-law.

There was a knock at the door. Amber let Brendan get up and answer it. She watched as a beautiful, young, brunette entered the room and hugged and kissed Brendan.

“Shanna, I want you to meet my Mother, Amber Hale. Mom, this is Shanna Hale.”

“Hello, Mrs. Hale, it is so nice to meet you finally. Brendan has told me so much about you.” Shanna said with a warm smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Shanna.” Amber answered with a small smile. “Brendan, you know where the guest room is. Good-night, both of you. I am going to get some sleep.” Amber turned and almost ran to the security and privacy of her room.

Amber sat down on her bed and picked up her cordless phone. She knew it was late, but she had to talk to someone. She dialed Matt’s number, but before it could ring, she hung up. She decided to go over to his place instead. She pulled a warm sweater from her closet and picked up her purse and car keys.

She slipped out the front door and drove over to Matt’s small apartment. She went to the front door and knocked. She waited a couple of minutes and knocked again. Finally, the door opened. Standing there, looking as handsome as ever, was Matt. His hair was tousled and he wore only a pair of shorts.

“Amber? What are you doing here, hon?” Matt pulled her into his apartment and closed the door behind them.

“Oh, Matt!” Amber sat down on an overstuffed love seat and buried her hands in her face as the tears began to fall. Matt sat down next to her and pulled her into his strong arms. He let her cry it all out.

“All right, darlin’, tell me what’s wrong.” Matt said softly handing her a tissue.

“Brendan told me tonight that he was married.” She answered struggling to control her emotions.

“Married? When did this all happen?”

“It happened over Thanksgiving.” Amber stood up and walked over to the window. She pushed aside the curtain and stared out at the street for a long moment.

“What are you going to do, Amber?” Amber turned at the sound of her fiancé’s voice.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“What can I do, Matt? He is nineteen years old. He has his own life to live. They will not live in my home though. They need to be on their own without a mother hanging over their shoulder. It is going to be so very hard for them.”

“Amber, don’t start feeling sorry for them. They are adults.” Matt pulled her into his arms.

“Oh, Matt, I love you so!” Amber murmured as their lips met and pressed together in a passionate, loving kiss.

“When are you going to marry me, Amber?”

“We only just got engaged this morning, love.” Amber giggled.

“So?” He answered with a deep laugh.

“OK, how about February 14th?” Amber answered snuggling in his arms.

“You have a date. On February 14, 2004, we will get married.” Matt stated with a smile.

Several days later, Amber sat down with Brendan and Shanna.

“First of all, Brendan, I want to tell you that I love you. Shanna, dear, I hardly know you, but you seem to make my son happy and that is very important to me. Secondly, we need to discuss what you two are going to do about living arrangements.” Amber paused for a second. “Are you two going back to school or not?”

“Mother, Shanna and I have discussed this at great length. I will be going back to school. Shanna has kindly offered to get a full-time job to help so that we can get a small apartment near the college. My trust fund will also help until I graduate and get a job. Once we reach that point, then Shanna will go back to school and get her degree.” Brendan answered with a loving smile towards his mother.

“I am very glad to hear that you have both made reasonable decisions.” Amber said with a warm smile to the young couple. “Just one more thing....um, have you discussed the possibility of children?”

“Yes, we have Mrs. Hale, I am taking birth control until we are ready to have children.” Shanna answered blushing.

“Please, dear, call me Mother or Amber if you wish.” Amber said with a smile and a pat on Shanna’s slim hand.

“Thank you...Mother.”

“I also wanted to tell you that Matt and I are getting married on Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh, Mother! That is wonderful!” Brendan exclaimed. He reached over and hugged his mother close.

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Amber said with a laugh. “I was a bit worried about how you might feel about it.”

“Mom, I just want you to be happy.” Brendan said. “Besides, Matt is very good for you. He also loves you very much. I can hear it in his voce when he talks to you.” Mother and son hugged warmly.

“Well, I guess that’s all.” Amber said.

Amber and matt picked out her wedding dress. It was going to be quite informal. They were going tobe married in Amber’s backyard. It was lovely back there with trees, a small but substantial waterfall and lots of colorful plants and vegetation.

Amber was getting nervous as the day drew closer. They had decided to move into Amber’s house since it was larger and much nicer than Matt’s rented apartment.

Finally, it was the evening before their wedding. Amber and Matt sat in the porch swing. Amber was snuggled in the comfort of Matt’s strong arms.

“Are you ready for tomorrow, sweetheart?” he asked looking down at Amber with love in his eyes.

“I am ready to be yours for the rest of my life.” Amber answered sincerely.

“Mother, it’s time for Matt to leave.” Brendan smiled as he and Shanna stood in the doorway. “You need your reat and the groom cannot see the bride until she walks down the aisle.” He said with a wide grin.

Matt and Amber laughed. They stood up. Matt pulled Amber into his arms and kissed her passionately. He reluctantly let her go. She watched as he walked down the steps and to his car. She waved as he pulled away.

This was it. Tomorrow evening she would be Mrs. Matthew Sheldon. What a delicious thought! She turned and walked into the ouse and to her room. She was tired and knew rest would come easily, she hoped.

Matt watched as Amber walked towards him inher off-white wedding gown. She held a bouquet of red roses and was on the arm of her beloved son, Brendan.

Amber gazed lovingly up at matt as he took her hand in his. “You are beautiful.” he murmured.

“Thank you. You are so handsome.” She answered back.

They turned to the minister and spoke their vows with love and adoration in their voices. Matt slipped the gold banc on Amber’s finger. Amber slipped the gold band on Matt’s finger.

“You may kiss the bride.”

Their lips met softly and gently in their first kiss as a married couple. Matt’s hand rested on her waist and gently pulled her to him. Finally, they broke the kiss and turned to acknowledge their guests.

They enjoyed the festivities, but rarely got a chance to speak to one another. They finally danced a dance together enjoying the simple act of touching each other.

Soon, it was time for them to leave on their honeymoon.

“Come, Mrs. Sheldon, it’s time for us to begin our life together.” Matt said as he clasped her hand in his.

Willingly, Amber turned to him with a heart of love.

THE END