Free Until Then (Cornerstone Book 2) by Krista Noorman

She had a newfound confidence that everything was going to work out, like God actually cared about her, about where she was, and where she was going. For the first time in her life, she felt truly alive.
    That afternoon, a light rapping on the door interrupted her Bible reading, and a girl from a few doors down stuck her head in the room.
    “Michelle, there’s a guy named Sean here to see you.”
    Her stomach flipped at the mention of his name. She quickly checked her reflection in the mirror, threw on a little blush and lip gloss, then tried to walk slowly to the lounge so not to seem too eager.
    She came through the door to see Sean staring out the big window by the entrance. Oh, man, he looks good.
    “Hi,” she greeted him.
    He gave her a weak wave.
    “How was your Thanksgiving?” she asked.
    “Tense,” he replied.
    “Oh no. Why?”
    He glanced around the room nervously. “Are you hungry?”
    She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I could eat.”
    Sean took her hand as they walked to the parking lot.
    She looked over at him, and when he smiled sweetly at her for the first time in two months, she had a feeling everything was going to be just fine. She had a feeling God was going to work it all out.
    He drove onto the highway and headed west, babbling on about the weather and traffic.
    She could tell he was nervous, because he was doing that thing where he spoke in a bunch of broken sentences, like he couldn’t figure out exactly what it was he wanted to say. It was adorable.
    He drove and drove, switching highways, and took the Holland exit.
    She noticed a sign for Holland State Park. “I thought we were gonna eat.”
    “We are.”
    “Are we gonna have to catch our dinner?”
    He laughed at that. It was the best sound in the world.
    They had their pick of parking spots when they reached Lake Michigan. There were a handful of die-hard beach lovers out, but it was mostly empty. The weather was a little warmer than average for the end of November — not a full blown Indian summer, but warm enough for a light jacket.
    Sean popped the trunk and grabbed a picnic basket and a couple blankets.
    “Wow! You came prepared. How did you know I would come with you?”
    He shrugged. “I hoped you would.”
    He took her hand again, and they found a spot on the beach to lay out their blanket. He wrapped the extra blanket around her shoulders and took a seat next to her, digging into the basket of food. He had gone all out with Subway subs and giant chocolate chip cookies for dessert. They ate in comfortable silence.
    When they finished, he scooted closer to her and leaned back onto his arms. His chest lifted as he took a deep breath in. “There are some things I need to say to you, Michelle.”
    She turned to face him and gave him her full attention.
    “I’m really sorry for what I did.” The words came out as he exhaled. “It was wrong. I didn’t … I mean … you deserved more respect than that. I took what I wanted, even though I knew better and—”
    “I didn’t,” she interrupted.
    He looked at her, his brow furrowed.
    “Up until that day, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I was doing.” Tears threatened. She was not used to all the tears. “But the way you looked at me, I knew you regretted it. I’d never had that happen before. I never felt like it was wrong before. Nobody ever told me it was wrong.”
    A tear slid down her cheek, and he gently brushed it away.
    “I liked you so much,” she continued. “And I thought that’s what I had to do to get you to like me, too.”
    He smiled a little, but there was a hint of sadness there. “I liked you so much, too.”
    His words simultaneously melted and broke her heart. More tears filled her eyes.
    “But this isn’t all on you.” He shook his head. “We were both there. And I’m really the one to blame here.”
    “You were right. I threw myself at you.” She looked down and bit her lower lip, trying to stop the tears.
    “I