She’s chasing freedom. He’s dreaming of forever. Katie’s restless heart just needs one more distraction to survive the final weeks before graduation. A gifted photography student with a reckless streak, she’s counting the days until she can break free. No more family pressure, nothing tying her down. Soon it will be just her, a camera, and the open road. It sounds perfect. Until Isaac walks in. Quiet, steady, and making her question everything. A soldier recently returned from Iraq, Isaac didn’t expect much from his short assignment in Alaska. He certainly didn’t expect to find someone like Katie. She’s everything he’s not—wild and radiant, a burst of color in a world gone gray. Isaac dreams of a stable future, a family, a place to belong. Katie wants none of it. And yet neither of them can seem to walk away. What begins as an unlikely friendship quickly grows into something more. Katie insists it’s casual. Just a few weeks. Just for fun. But Isaac wants something real. And as their connection grows, so does the ache of everything they cannot be. Because sometimes, the right people meet at the wrong time. And some goodbyes leave a mark you never forget. A bittersweet novella about timing, longing, and the one who almost was, Before We Begin is a standalone prequel to Before Grace , the first full-length novel in the award-winning Grace Church Series.