Read Online The Moment We Began (A Fairhope New Adult Romance) by Sarra Cannon - Free Book Online

remember taking Mason’s keys, just that one
minute he was kissing me and the next, I was speeding away. I didn’t
even make it that far.
    Slowly, the piercing pains turn to a dull
throbbing.
    Preston strokes my hair as I cry, and gradually,
mercifully, I finally fall asleep.

Chapter Fourteen
    The door to my room sails open and I jerk awake,
the sudden motion sending a fresh wave of pain through my sore body.
    My father storms through the door, his face filled
with rage and worry.
    Mom follows him inside. Her eyes are ringed with
red and her hair is a wild mess. I’ve never seen her in public
looking like this. She must have gotten out of bed and threw on
whatever was closest without even bothering to brush her hair.
    Guilt presses against my chest. They had to have
been scared to death to get that call so late at night.
    Preston stands, and for the first time in hours,
he lets go of my hand and steps away.
    I struggle to sit up straighter.
    Mom rushes to my side and pulls me into a hug.
“Thank god you’re okay,” she says, her hand on the
back of my head. She presses her cheek to my uninjured side and I
feel the wetness of tears on her face.
    “What in the hell were you thinking?”
My dad’s voice booms across the room. He comes to stand on the
other side of my bed, his large hands gripping the bed-rail.
    I lean back against the pillow and feel the tears
starting up all over again.
    Mom rubs her hand along my forearm. “You
scared us out of our minds,” she says. “What happened?
The doctor told us you’d been drinking.”
    They look at me, expecting answers. I don’t
even know what to say. I’m an emotional wreck, and I have no
excuses for what I did. All I can do is find a spot on the wall and
stare.
    “Your behavior has been out of control
lately,” Dad says. “But this? This is completely over the
line. I won’t have a daughter of mine drinking and driving like
some lunatic. Do you realize you could have been killed tonight? Or
worse, you could have killed someone else? What if you’d hit
another car? Or a pedestrian? I can’t believe you would be so
stupid.”
    I lean forward and bring my hands up over my face.
I don’t want them to see me.
    I’m sobbing now, thinking about what he’s
saying.
    He’s right. I could have killed someone. I
could have died.
    Mom puts her arm around my shoulder and kisses the
top of my head. She rubs my back as I cry. “Go a little easy on
her, Tripp. She’s still really shaken up over this,” she
says. “Come on, Penny, look at me.”
    She pulls my hands away from my face, but I don’t
want to look in her eyes. I’ve disappointed my parents plenty
of times before, but after this, I’m afraid they’ll never
see me the same way again.
    Maybe no one will.
    “Look at me, sweetheart.”
    I slowly lift my eyes to hers and she gives me a
small smile.
    “We’ll talk about all this later,
okay? Your father and I are just glad you’re alright,”
she says. “The doctor said you’re extremely lucky to be
alive. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, he says you’re
going to be just fine. That’s what’s important right
now.”
    “Am I going to jail?” I ask, my voice
trembling.
    Her eyes flick toward my father, then back at me.
She shakes her head. “We’re going to take care of
everything,” she says. “You just concentrate on getting
some rest and getting better.”
    Relief floods through me, but it’s mixed
with guilt. I know they’ll have to call in some favors to make
this disappear, and it isn’t really fair.
    “What about Mason’s car?”
    “Shhhh,” she says, patting my hand.
“Let us deal with all that.”
    The door opens and the doctor walks in. Dr.
Mallory is about my parents’ age, and he’s a friend of
theirs. He’s not usually an ER doctor, and I’m wondering
if my parents asked him to come in tonight. He smiles, clutching a
clipboard tight against his chest.
    “I’m glad to see you awake,” he
says. “How are you