Wished Away: A Broken Fairy Tale Read Online Free Page B

never want to end. There’s nothing else in the world that matters but him. My love. My life.

Dave
    L ast night was close to one of the best of my life. I’m one lucky bastard, and I have no idea what I did to get a life this good, but I’ll take it.
    Charlotte’s a ball of fire like her mother when she comes bouncing out the front door of my parent’s house. She’s the picture of Jess when she was ten years old, with long blonde curly hair, and eyes so blue, you think you’re looking into the Caribbean.
    I step out of the car just as Charlotte leaps up and gives me a big hug. “Hey Dad, you ready to take me home? Sophie, Ellie and I are going to the beach today with Mom.” She grabs my hand and begins swinging it back and forth looking up at me with puppy dog eyes and I know she is up to something. “Can I spend the night at Aunt Cam’s tonight, please?” Charlotte knows I have a firm rule of not having two sleepovers in a row and is surely trying to soften me up to get her way. I deal with some of the toughest people in the world in my line of work and never break, but my little girl can make me putty in her hands with one look.
    “Char, you know my rule. You just spent the night at Grammy’s and I don’t want you Miss. Grumpy after two sleepovers.” I rub the top of her head trying to make her pout turn to a smile. “How about tomorrow night, alright? I’m going to be home tonight after my shift, and your mom is making a special birthday dinner just for the three of us.”
    “Tomorrow night then, deal?” She holds out her tiny hand, and I shake it firmly back.
    “Deal.”
    My parents come up to us with Charlotte’s overnight bag and a present for me.
    “Happy birthday Davey.” My mom kisses my cheek and hands me the small green gift bag.
    “It was my idea,” my dad ruffs behind her.
    My parents are polar opposites like Jess and me. My dad’s a tall, slim, serious man. He now runs a small construction business, and was once a sheriff in Mantoloking just like me, but that was before he was shot in the line of duty. He’s a man of honor and unwavering pride for family. He’s someone I still look up to. My mom is loving to a fault. She literally smothered me with affection growing up, never letting me clean my own plate, or wash my own clothes. Poor Jess. When we were first married, I thought she was going to kill me with how sloppy I was. Truth is, I never had to lift a finger when I lived at home, my mom did everything.
    I pull out the tissue paper and reach in the bag pulling out a small black jewelry box. I look up at my parents confused and then back at the tiny box wondering what in the world was inside.
    “Open it, open it!” Charlotte cheers me on, not able to contain her excitement.
    I lift the lid revealing a pendant of St. Michael, the patron saint of ultimate protection.
    “I wore this every day on the force, and your grandfather before me did the same. I’ve been meaning to give it to you for a while now, and thought today was as good of a day as any.”
    I smile at my dad knowing how hard it’s for him to part with this. I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen him without it. “Thanks Dad. It means a lot.”
    I close the box and slide it in my pocket before thanking my parents once more and taking Charlotte home for her play date at the beach. Summer is coming to an end, and I’ll be glad when Mantoloking and Point Pleasant slow down to the quiet beach towns I love so much. Every weekend is filled with rowdy out of towners who rent houses at the shore or college kids who come down to let loose on the boardwalk and bars. It seems as each year passes more and more douche bags make their way down here and do nothing but cause trouble making my job a real pain in the ass.
    I pull into the station, already five minutes late to see a group of officers congregating at the side of the tall brick building. The look on Sarg’s face tells me something’s up and it isn’t good. My