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The first time Kim prayed out loud in three years, she was arguing with a flat tire. “Lord, if this is Your idea of comic timing, I get it. I surrender. I’ll start over. Just—please—don’t let me have this baby on the side of the road.” The wind coming off Lake Michigan wasn’t in a merciful mood. It whipped her hair into her face, stung her eyes, and carried the scent of rain and salt and beginnings she didn’t ask for. She crouched beside the truck, belly pressing against her knees, and laughed under her breath. It wasn’t a pretty sound. It was the kind of laugh you let out when the only other option is crying. “I’m not mad,” she murmured. “Just… tired.” The words surprised her, because they were true. Behind her, the waves hit the shore with their steady, patient rhythm—the same rhythm that had carried her mother through the last months of her life. Kim used to roll her eyes when her mother called the lake God’s reminder that nothing broken stays still. Now she could almost believe it. By the time she got the spare on and the rain started, she was shaking with exhaustion, half laughing, half crying. The sign that welcomed her back to Strawberry Sands leaned slightly, as if the whole town had been waiting on her to get her act together. “Home sweet home,” she whispered, tasting the words for the first time. When she finally turned onto the old beach road, the cottage came into view—blue paint faded, porch light off, chimney leaning like a question mark. But the sight still hit her like grace. Her mom’s cottage. Her last yes. And Kim’s last chance to build something that didn’t fall apart. She cut the engine, sat in the silence, and rubbed her belly. “See that, baby girl? That’s the smell of clean slates and coffee by the lake. We’re going to be okay.” The words were still warm in the air when a light flicked on inside the cottage. She frowned. No one should’ve been there. Then a man’s silhouette moved across the window—broad shoulders, easy gait—and her pulse tripped over itself. Because there was only one man she’d ever known who walked like that. And he wasn’t supposed to be here. Keep reading this inspiration women's fiction novel for FREE with Kindle Unlimited when you click the download button today! Also available in paperback and audiobook!