The Moment We Began (A Fairhope New Adult Romance) (31 page)

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Authors: Sarra Cannon

BOOK: The Moment We Began (A Fairhope New Adult Romance)

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He takes a breath, his eyes filled with tears.

“I made the biggest mistake of my life
letting you walk out that door,” he says. “I should have
stood by you no matter what. I should have come back with you and
faced whatever it was they wanted to do to me. Penny, you’re
the only thing in this world that matters to me. You and this baby. I
love you with every ounce of my soul and I promise, if you give me
another chance, I will never hurt you again.”

My heart pieces itself back together again with
every word from his mouth.

I pull him into my arms. I cling to him, my love
for him overflowing. “I love you, too,” I say. “I
won’t ever let anyone stand between us like that again. My
future is with you, Mason. I want to start a family with you and I
don’t care if we have to live a tent for the rest of our lives,
I just want to be with you.”

He laughs and puts his hands gently on my face.
Tears spill onto my cheeks. He kisses my forehead, then wraps his
arms around me. We hold each other like that for a long time, both of
us feeling the gravity of this moment.

I have loved him for so long, but until now, there
has always been something holding us back. Secrets. Doubt. Fear.
Family.

But all that falls away as we surrender ourselves
completely to love. A love so real, it reaches in to the deepest part
of me and makes me whole again.

When the doctor comes back in, Mason takes my hand
in his and holds tight. “Whatever happens from here, we’ll
face it together, okay?”

I nod and take a deep breath, gathering strength
from him.

“Are you ready?” Dr. Mallory asks.

Mason leans forward and places his lips against my
fingers. We both stare up at the black screen.

Neither of us can breathe as the doctor begins the
ultrasound.

He moves the wand around and at first, there’s
nothing. Only darkness.

Then, a flutter of movement.

I gasp, watching our baby’s heartbeat
flicker on the screen. The doctor flips a switch on the machine and
the room fills with a whooshing sound, strong and steady. It’s
the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s
the sound of hope and strength and love.

Mason laughs, tears streaming down his face. He
leans forward, pressing his soft lips against mine.

In that moment, nothing stands between us. No more
lies. No more walls. All our past mistakes are erased.

We’ve been given a precious gift. A chance
to start over. To make every choice count. To take nothing for
granted.

And in that moment, we begin.

Epilogue

Two months later

“Are you sure you’re feeling up to
this, baby?”

Mason takes my hand and helps me out of bed. He
puts his arm around me with such tenderness, walking me toward the
closet.

I laugh. “I’m fine, hotlips.”

He groans and rolls his eyes. “Are we back
to that now?”

“Hey, I’m still searching for the
perfect pet name for you,” I say. I disappear into the closet
of our brand new house and call back, “Eventually something’s
gonna stick.”

“Please, just don’t let it be hotlips
or sugarbear or studmuffin,” he says.

I start to suggest another, equally sugary name
when he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, his
hands resting on my belly. I’m just starting to really look
pregnant, and I love it. Mason is always touching my little bump. He
even sings to my belly every night before we go to sleep, which
always makes me smile.

I never dreamed we could be so happy.

“I can tell them we need to wait another
week or two if you’re not feeling up to all the walking
around,” he says.

I turn and hook my arms around his neck, smiling.
“I’m fine,” I say. “The doctor says the baby
is doing great. I still need to take it easy, but I’m not on
bedrest anymore. Besides, it’s just a walk around the garden.”

“It’s an entire afternoon of party
planning,” he says. “I don’t see why you can’t
just let your mother handle the Christmas Memories event again this
year. You can boss everyone around next year.”

“Ha ha,” I say. I turn and look
through some of the maternity clothes Leigh Anne and Jenna picked out
for me from the local thrift store. I choose a simple pair of black
leggings and a long red tunic. “This is very important to me,
and I don’t want to put it off for another year. Besides, it’s
a big deal for my mom to step aside and let me take the lead on such
a major charity event. I promise I won’t let it put any stress
on me or the baby. All my friends are pitching in. It’ll be
fun.”

Mason kisses my forehead. “I’m going
to get all the packages together and put them in the car,” he
says. “I’ll see you in a few.”

As I dress for the day, I think of how far we’ve
come in such a short time.

My parents released their hold on the trust fund I
received from my grandparents, and Mason and I used some of the money
to purchase this little house on the edge of town. It’s small,
but there’s a cute bedroom for our little one and it’s
going to be plenty of room for the three of us.

We put some money away in savings for a rainy day,
but used the bulk of it to start a new charity called Rachel’s
Kids in honor of Mason’s sister. The money we raise will go
toward helping families without insurance coverage pay for their
kids’ medical treatments. As a way to heal our relationship, my
mother offered to let me plan the annual Christmas Memories dance
this year. And instead of sending the money we raise to a larger
international charity, we’ll be donating all the money to
Rachel’s Kids.

There’s still a lot of healing to do between
me and my parents, but it’s a start and I’m glad they’re
trying.

When I’m dressed, I walk into the living
room to help Mason with the packages. We’ve spent the last few
days putting together care packages of food and other supplies to
take to the local homeless shelter.

I look at my watch and realize we’re running
late. “We’ve got to get going,” I say as I come
around the corner. “Delores and Buddy are probably already at
Mom’s. I’m so excited about having them cater the event
this year.”

Mason is standing in the living room, a small
square box in his hand. It’s wrapped in red paper with a big
white bow.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“An early Christmas present,” he says.

I turn my head and narrow my eyes at him. “It’s
only November,” I say. “You shouldn’t be buying me
early Christmas presents.”

“It’s not for you,” he says, a
grin spreading across his face. “It’s for the baby.”

I take the package from him and tear the paper
off. I open the box, wondering what in the world he’s got up
his sleeve.

“For her first camping trip,” he says.

I giggle and throw my arms around him, drawing him
into a kiss.

Inside the box, wrapped in tissue paper, is a
teeny little pink sleeping bag.

Book 3 in the Fairhope series

The Fear of Letting Go

Jenna’s story

For more information on when this book will be available, make sure you
are signed up for my
mailing list!!

Also, coming November 1, Bailey will get her own novella!

A Season For Hope

Part of The 12 NA’s of Christmas

A Note from Sarra

I hope you enjoyed being in Fairhope again! Each novel in this series will
stand alone, but will also update you on your favorite characters. Want to see
what happens in Leigh Anne’s trial? Want to hear more about Penny’s pregnancy?
Keep reading the series. I promise you will get updates as you read!

I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to leave an honest
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