Amber had given up on love but sparks fly when she meets her father’s old friend, Steve, at a BBQ. As their whirlwind romance leads to marriage, everything seems perfect. But on their wedding night, Amber discovers Steve has an unsettling secret that changes everything.
I pulled up to my parents’ house and stared at the line of cars parked across the lawn.
“What’s this all about?” I muttered, already bracing myself for whatever family surprise was waiting inside.
A woman in her car | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed my purse, locked the car, and headed toward the house, hoping it was nothing too chaotic.
As soon as I opened the door, the smell of grilled meat hit me, along with the sound of my dad’s booming laugh. I walked into the living room and peeked out the back window.
Of course, Dad was hosting some kind of impromptu BBQ. The whole backyard was filled with people, most of them from his auto repair shop.
People at a BBQ | Source: Pexels
“Amber!” Dad’s voice cut through my thoughts as he flipped a burger with that same apron he’s had for years. “C’mon, grab a drink and join us. It’s just the guys from work.”
I tried not to groan. “Looks like the whole town’s here,” I mumbled, slipping off my shoes.
Before I could join in the familiar, chaotic atmosphere, the doorbell rang. Dad tossed the spatula down and wiped his hands on his apron.
A man walking into a house | Source: Midjourney
“That must be Steve,” he said, almost to himself. He glanced at me as he reached for the doorknob. “You haven’t met him yet, right?”
Before I could even answer, Dad had already flung the door open.
“Steve!” he boomed, giving the guy a solid clap on the back. “Come on in, you’re just in time. Oh, and meet my daughter, Amber.”
I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat.
A man standing on a doorstep | Source: Midjourney
Steve was tall and a little rough around the edges in a ruggedly handsome way, with graying hair and eyes that somehow managed to be both warm and deep. He smiled at me, and I felt this strange flutter in my chest that I wasn’t prepared for.
“Nice to meet you, Amber,” he said, offering his hand.
His voice was calm and steady. I shook his hand, a little self-conscious about how I must look after driving for hours.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
A woman | Source: Midjourney
From that point on, I couldn’t stop glancing at him. He was the kind of man who made everyone around him comfortable, always listening more than talking. I tried to focus on the conversations around me, but every time our eyes met, I felt this pull.
It was ridiculous. I hadn’t even been thinking about love or relationships for ages. Not after everything I’d been through.
I’d pretty much given up on finding “the one” and was more focused on work and family. But something about Steve made me want to reconsider, even though I wasn’t ready to admit it.
A thoughtful woman | Source: Midjourney
As the day wound down, I finally said my goodbyes and headed to my car. Of course, when I tried to start it, the engine sputtered and died.
“Great,” I groaned, slumping back in my seat. I considered going back inside to ask Dad for help, but before I could, there was a knock on my window.
It was Steve.
“Car trouble?” he asked, smiling as if this kind of thing happened every day.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
I sighed. “Yeah, it’s not starting. I was just going to get my dad, but…”
“Don’t worry about it. Let me take a look,” he offered, already rolling up his sleeves.
I watched him work, his hands moving with practiced ease. Within a few minutes, my car roared back to life. I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath until I exhaled.
A car engine | Source: Pexels
“There you go,” he said, wiping his hands on a rag. “Should be good now.”
I smiled, genuinely grateful. “Thanks, Steve. I guess I owe you one.”
He shrugged and gave me a look that made my stomach flip. “How about dinner? We can call it even.”
I froze for a second. Dinner? Was he asking me out?
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
I felt that familiar flicker of doubt, the little voice in the back of my head reminding me of all the reasons I shouldn’t say yes. But something in Steve’s eyes made me want to take the chance.
“Yeah, dinner sounds good.”
And just like that, I agreed. I never would’ve imagined then that Steve was exactly the man I needed to heal my wounded heart… or how deeply he’d hurt me, either.
A woman | Source: Midjourney
Six months later, I stood in front of the mirror in my childhood bedroom, staring at myself in a wedding dress. It was surreal, honestly. After everything I’d been through, I didn’t think this day would ever come.
I was 39 years old, and I’d given up on the whole fairy tale, but here I was — about to marry Steve.
The wedding was small, just close family and a few friends, exactly what we wanted.
A wedding venue | Source: Pexels
I remember standing at the altar, looking into Steve’s eyes, and feeling this overwhelming sense of calm. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t second-guessing anything.
“I do,” I whispered, barely able to keep the tears from spilling over.
“I do,” Steve said back, his voice thick with emotion.
And just like that, we were husband and wife.
A newlywed couple | Source: Pexels
That night, after all the congratulations and hugs, we finally got some alone time. Steve’s house, our house now, was quiet, the rooms still unfamiliar to me. I slipped into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable, my heart full and light.
But the minute I slipped back into the bedroom, I was greeted by a shocking sight.
Steve was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to me, talking softly to someone… a someone who wasn’t there!
A man speaking to someone | Source: Midjourney
My heart skipped a beat.
“I wanted you to see this, Stace. Today was perfect… I just wish you could’ve been here.” His voice was soft, full of emotion.
I stood frozen in the doorway, trying to make sense of what I was hearing.
“Steve?” My voice sounded small, unsure.
He turned around slowly, guilt flickering across his face.
A startled man | Source: Midjourney
“Amber, I—”
I stepped closer, the air between us thick with unspoken words. “Who… who were you talking to?”
He took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. “I was talking to Stacy. My daughter.”
I stared at him, the weight of his words slowly sinking in. He’d told me he’d had a daughter. I knew she had died. But I didn’t know about… this.
A concerned woman | Source: Midjourney
“She died in a car accident, with her mom,” he continued, his voice strained. “But sometimes I talk to her. I know it sounds crazy, but I just… I feel like she’s still here with me. Especially today. I wanted her to know about you. I wanted her to see how happy I am.”
I didn’t know what to say. My chest felt tight and I couldn’t quite catch my breath. Steve’s grief was raw, a living thing between us, and it made everything feel heavy.
But I didn’t feel scared. I didn’t feel angry. Just… so sad. Sad for him, for everything he’d lost, and the way he’d been carrying it all alone. His grief hurt me as though it were my own.
A sad man | Source: Midjourney
I sat down beside him, my hand finding his. “I get it,” I said softly. “I do. You’re not crazy, Steve. You’re grieving.”
He let out a shaky breath, looking at me with such vulnerability that it nearly broke my heart. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you sooner. I just didn’t want to scare you away.”
“You’re not scaring me away,” I said, squeezing his hand. “We all have things that haunt us. But we’re in this together now. We can carry this together.”
An earnest woman | Source: Midjourney
Steve’s eyes welled up with tears, and I pulled him into a hug, feeling the weight of his pain, his love, his fear, all of it wrapped up in that moment.
“Maybe… maybe we can talk to someone about it. A therapist, maybe. It doesn’t have to be just you and Stacy anymore.”
He nodded against my shoulder, his grip on me tightening. “I’ve thought about it. I just didn’t know how to start. Thank you for understanding, Amber. I didn’t know how much I needed this.”
An emotional man | Source: Midjourney
I pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, my heart swelling with a love deeper than I’d ever known. “We’ll figure it out, Steve. Together.”
And as I kissed him, I knew we would. We weren’t perfect, but we were real, and for the first time, that felt like enough.
But that’s the thing about love, isn’t it? It’s not about finding some perfect person without any scars; it’s about finding someone whose scars you’re willing to share.
A couple holding hands | Source: Pexels
Here’s another story: Emma’s world shatters when Steve’s ex, Susan, interrupts the ceremony to announce that she’s dying and beg Steve to spend her last six months with her. Shocked and betrayed, Emma demands answers, only to find Steve torn between his past and their future.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
After A Successful Surgery, This Black Lab Born With A Cleft Lip And Cleft Palate Can Finally Enjoy Playing In Water
After a successful surgery, this black lab born with a cleft lip and cleft palate can finally enjoy playing in water: If you’re a frequent lurker on Imgur, you’ll have meet the adorable face of Felix. Probably the most-loved dog on the social media platform, Felix sure has captured thousands of hearts with his delightfully charming face.
Born with a harelip and a birth defect, Felix has had his justifiable share of struggles. Fortunately, this January, he had surgery to repair his mouth and it had been successful! Now, Felix is as happy and healthy as the other good boy out there, and he even had his first splash in the river recently, which wouldn’t are possible a year ago! “I got Felix as an 11-day old puppy. I used to be the rescue worker who was called in by the breeder after they noticed that one among the puppies from their litter wasn’t thriving, and was, in fact, dying because he had a severe birth defect and harelip, and wasn’t ready to nurse off of his mother properly,” Jamie, Felix’s rescuer and then the owner shared with Bored Panda. “He had developed bronchopneumonia at now and wasn’t getting to live another 24 hours. I took him home with me and tube-fed him for subsequent 7 weeks. I treated his pneumonia also . he’s now a 14-month-old adult Black Lab!”
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the explanation for a harelip and palate is unknown,” Jamie told Bored Panda. “It may be a birth defect found in animals and humans, and is assumed to flow from to improper nutrition within the mother, or exposure to chemicals during gestation.” Sadly, the hare lip and palate aren’t the sole medical conditions that this adorable boy has. But he doesn’t let catch on in the way of his happiness! “Felix also has some digestive issues because his colon formed on the precise opposite side of his body that it had been supposed to! Weird but it works. He only has one functioning eyeball, his jaws don’t match up, and therefore the right side of his face seems like a melted candle, but aside from that he’s ok I suppose,” Felix’s owner told us. “None of his teeth match up either, so he has got to mostly eat canned foods. Sometimes I give him hard food so he can desire “one of the gang” but it’s quite hard for him to scoop it up. Keeps him busy though.”
Image credits: thevaiobandit101
“Felix had corrective surgery on January 31st to correct his clefts,” Jamie, Felix’s owner shared with Bored Panda. “He features a unilateral birth defect that involved both hard and soft palates. His Doctor was ready to reconstruct the roof of his mouth using his own tissue, and even rebuilt his taste bud, because it was nonexistent. Ever since his surgery, probably thanks to his skull shifting, he suffers from a neurological tic now that causes him to spin and bark at the air occasionally. We try new medications to assist him out thereupon .”
Felix’s owner told Bored Panda that the bomber was unable to eat and drink normally before his surgery. “I had to use a specialized tool that I made to wash the food out of his cleft whenever he ate,” she explained. “He also had to be regularly sedated so it might be cleaned and flushed at the vet. Just one occasion there was a whole salmon skin up there (we sleep in Alaska), and once more there was a plastic dental floss stuck up in there. He was quite a multitude .”
Fortunately, for Felix, he lives during a big and loving family. “Felix has 4 siblings!” Jamie told Bored Panda. “I have another dog with a cleft (not as severe and didn’t require surgery). His name is Sammy and he’s an Australian Cattle Dog. I even have a miniature dachshund named PB who is 12 years old. I even have daughter, a terrier from Bethel Alaska. And eventually , there’s Meera, who seems like a 20-pound brindle whippet. they’re an odd bunch, and everyone from the rescue. I work for a veterinarian who does exclusively rescue work. He’s an excellent man. Felix gets along great with all of his brothers and sisters, also as his cat friend, and any and every one fosters that I bring home. I even have fostered overflow 400 dogs since 2013.”
Apparently, Felix is feeling happy and safe living with his loving owner and siblings. “Felix is that the happiest dog I’ve ever had,” Jamie shared. “He is blissfully unaware of his health problems, and he has more energy than he or I do know what to try to to with. i used to be ready to take him swimming for the primary time in his life this past weekend, and he did great. I hope to be ready to train him to be a “real retriever” this summer. If I might have tried to need him swimming before his surgery, he would have drowned in seconds.”
Image credits: thevaiobandit101
If there’s one thing that this happy and energetic goofball likes to do, it’s certainly playing! “Felix likes to play ball – he will roll in the hay allllll day if you’ll throw it,” his owner told Bored Panda. “He is in a position to eat and drink normally now, and he’s the strongest dog I’ve ever known. After his surgery, he had a feeding tube beginning of his neck and that i had to push liquid petfood through it for a couple of weeks. He never complained and stood so still while I did it. He couldn’t have anything in his mouth, which was difficult, because he likes to have something in his mouth in the least times! He has been a true trooper, and that i hope that the remainder of his life are going to be great!” Obviously, Felix is extremely loved in his house. There, he gets to play with other dogs, cats, and his favorite stuffed animals. In fact, he loves the stuffed toys such a lot , he recently ate two of them and had to possess surgery! So, this adorable lab is not any different from other good Labrador boys
“Seeing him like this after his surgeries is that the best reward. What a man ,” Felix’s owner gushes. “He may be a happy boy.” Jamie is quite glad that Felix is a part of her life. “I have had people say that I should have put him down, but I’m glad I didn’t,” she told Bored Panda. “He may be a great advocate for overcoming challenges, looking a touch bit different than your friends, and for having your pets spayed or neutered!” Make sure to see out the Imgur account where Felix’s owner posts his photos and videos! Promise, you won’t be disappointed but rather rewarded with daily heartwarming content!
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