When the Fairytale Ends by Dwan Abrams Read Free Book Online

house. Nothing like a good serving of birthday sex to make everything all right.
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    While she stood beneath the shower’s spigot and washed away the traces of their lovemaking, Shania promised herself that she wouldn’t think about the vehicle that was sitting outside in her driveway. But who was she kidding? That was the only thing she could think about. She tried hard not to be mad with Greg, yet she found it impossible not to be. Her cheeks felt hot every time she thought about that motorcycle. What in the world was he thinking? She concluded that his actions seemed reckless and irresponsible—unlike the Greg she knew and loved. She hoped that he wasn’t starting to change and take her for granted. For crying out loud, they had only been married a little over three months. Wasn’t it too soon for the fairytale to be over?
    She stepped out of the shower and gritted her teeth in frustration while she dried off. As she lathered her body with creamy body butter, she let out a sigh. She didn’t want anything, including her foul mood, to interfere with the plans she had for Greg’s birthday.
    Birthdays had always been special to Shania. Growing up, her parents used to throw lavish parties for both her and her sister. She liked the way those celebrations made her feel . . . special, like a princess. She liked making her loved ones feel special too. She knew that the only way she was going to release her anger was to pray.
    With Greg in his home office, using the computer, she closed the bedroom door and kneeled down beside her bed. She shut her eyes and prayed that God would give her peace about the situation and keep Greg safe.
    When she finished praying, she pulled out her wedding album and perused the professional photos, reminding herself how much she loved her husband. She then closed the album and touched up her makeup and brushed her dark hair. She was already dressed in fitted jeans and a sexy shirt, so she slid on a pair of open-toed, wedge-heeled sandals that showed off her hot pink pedicure and went down the hall to get Greg.
    Standing in the doorway of Greg’s office, Shania saw Greg reading the birthday card she had left for him on top of his keyboard, smiling. She knew that he liked more meaningful cards, so she had read several before selecting the one that best conveyed her feelings about her man.
    He looked up at her and closed the card. “Thank you, baby.”
    â€œGlad you liked it.” She shifted on her foot as she read his expression. “Everything’s okay, right?”
    He placed the card on his desk and nodded as he exited out of his e-mail. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
    But from the tone of his voice and the expression on his face, she knew everything was not fine. She invited herself to sit in his lap, and she held his cheeks while she stared into his face. “What’s wrong?”
    His hand went to his chin and he tugged on the little patch of hair that was there. “I just checked my e-mail, and, uh . . .”
    â€œAnd?”
    He scratched the back of his head with both hands, then let his arms flop down to his sides. “You know the five new insurance policies that I signed last month?”
    A sour feeling settled in the pit of her belly. “Yes.”
    â€œWell . . .” He scratched the back of his head again. “I just checked my e-mail and four of the policyholders canceled their policies.”
    â€œThey can’t cancel,” Shania said, racking her brain as she recalled the policy guidelines. “I thought that if they didn’t cancel in thirty days, they’re locked in by contract for at least six months.”
    â€œTrue, but . . .”—Greg looked at the ceiling and blew air from his lips—“it hasn’t been a full thirty days yet.”
    Bummer. At a loss for words, Shania turned in his lap and faced the computer. Then she looked over her shoulder at him and said,