Regan wrapped her arms around her bare stomach. Surely, this swimsuit had more material when she’d tried it on.

Kylee rolled her eyes and turned sideways in the same mirror, her tiny stomach pooching out with tiny baby. “Um, no. You do not get to hold your gorgeous stomach and feel weird.”

Releasing a sigh, Regan let her arms fall. “You’re growing a baby. I ate too many carbs last week while I stressed about this trip.”

There was no undoing the past week. Logically, Regan knew it was fine. She was healthy and strong. But feeling padding that she didn’t normally feel, in a situation where she’d be in a swimsuit near people she wanted to impress…that felt different. Also, she wasn’t a bikini girl and felt utterly naked. “How did you talk me into this swimsuit?”

Kylee poked her shoulder. “You’ll thank me when only your swimsuit bottoms fill with sand, rather than your whole suit. Trust me.”

Wrapping her arms around her middle, Regan forced her eyes from the mirror.

“Hey, when you taught yoga, what did you say about beach bodies?” Kylee tossed a towel over her shoulder.

Well, Kylee had her there. “That a beach body is a body that you take to the beach.”

Kylee pushed Regan toward the door. “Please, let’s just take our bodies to the beach, okay?”

“Okay,” Regan conceded as she grabbed a towel. “But let’s just head out rather than going to pick up Lara, cool?”

A light chuckle escaped as Kylee grabbed the door handle. “Not sure if you wanna face hottie mchotterson again?”

Regan snorted. “He just looks so different. That’s all.”

“I don’t know what he looked like before, but now?” She peered over her shoulder while she headed up the boardwalk. “Wow.”

They turned right at the end of the boardwalk, following a sandy pathway toward the lanky greenery.

“This pregnant body needs the ocean,” Kylee said.

The trees were almost like tall bushes here, just a few feet over Regan’s head in most places. A few different kinds of green and brown foliage covered most of the ground under the trees, but the sandy pathway was wide and easy to follow. There was so much potential here—bigger lodgings, maps, better signs…

“This place is amazing, huh?” Kylee asked as they passed an offshoot with a worn, wooden sign.

“Could be spectacular,” Regan agreed and her answer was met with another laugh.

“You know what I love about you?” her friend asked. “You are always looking for ways to make things better.”

That did have a lot to do with what Regan loved—she’d gone from dancing to yoga and then learned to manage specialty hotels in college. With any luck, she’d be putting her magic touch on the new all-inclusive swanky lake-side resort. She should hear back from them any day now about the possibility of her filling one of their managerial positions.

“There you are!” Lara called from behind them, and Regan put on her best “concierge smile.” Really, it was Lara who had convinced Regan to come, and that had allowed Regan and Kylee to have a fun girl trip before Kylee’s baby came.

Regan spun to face her friend. What she wouldn’t give for some of Lara’s energy. Lara practically bounced up the trail toward them. “This island is pretty fantastic,” Regan said.

“Isn’t it?” Lara gushed. “And it’s just the wedding group here. I mean…a whole island to ourselves!”

It had never occurred to Regan to see how big the place was. With the tree-bushes around them, Regan had no idea how to gauge the size.

“About five acres large,” Lara said, answering the question Regan hadn’t yet asked.

Five acres was enough to do several rows of small cabin-style rooms like the one her and Kylee stayed in. And if the owner of the island was careful enough, they’d be able to put in a few small homes too. But they’d need to be careful if they wanted them far enough apart so that customers had the island experience she envisioned for the place.

Well, it wasn’t her place to envision.

A few squeals and children’s laughter echoed from ahead and the wave noise that had been soft on the other side of the island was harsher and more rhythmic on this side. The trees gave way to a long stretch of crescent-shaped beach.

“Holy…wow…” Regan breathed. “This is incredible.”

Lara looped her arm through Regan’s. “Isn’t it? My brother loves it here.”

Regan took a few steps forward. About twenty people played on the beach, along with a handful of small children. Matt would be here, so would LaChelle. Regan swallowed.

Lara was gushing about the flowers and the trellis that had been erected for the wedding…

But Regan focused on the people on the beach. LaChelle’s mother was easy to spot with her bright pale skin and flaming red hair. Her husband sat next to her—skin so deep it nearly matched his black hair. Regan had met them at college graduation—super nice people. Of course, Matt had fallen for all of them.

A pat on Regan’s arm brought her back to the present. Kylee smiled wide. “I’m going in.”

Regan nodded at her friend and set her small bag and towel in the sand. She should go in the water, too. But…But now she was faced with the reality that she’d soon see Matt and LaChelle and would it feel okay? Weird? She hadn’t seen either in the two years since they’d graduated from college.

Fingers jabbed into Regan’s sides, just as a voice yelled, “Gotcha!”

“Matt!” she shrieked. “Good grief, will you ever grow up?”

Familiar brows waggled as his grin split his face. “Never!”

“Your poor soon-to-be-wife,” Lara teased.

Regan’s smile froze. Matt had been her first…everything, really. First real boyfriend, first real kiss, first…lots of things. His tidy hair and easy grin hadn’t changed a bit.

“So.” Regan swallowed again. “Congrats.”

Matt shook his head. “Can you believe it?”

No, no, she couldn’t. Her eighteen-year-old self had promised that she’d never let Matt get away.

Dark arms wrapped around Matt from behind and he spun to kiss his fiancé.

LaChelle had the gorgeous curves that Regan knew she’d never have.

“Regan!” LaChelle beamed. “I’m so so so happy you came.”

“Me too,” she squeaked. So, this was super weird, but…Weird wasn’t the right word. She’d figure out what the right word might be for how she felt looking at her first love and the woman he’d fallen in love with. But it might take her a while.

Matt hadn’t been hers when he and LaChelle had gotten together. LaChelle had refused him for months, knowing that it might upset Regan. LaChelle was the best kind of person, and a part of Regan wanted them to be happy forever. Another part of her, the more selfish part, wanted Matt to never really be over his first love.

Sometimes, she was the worst kind of person.

A whoop caught her attention and her gaze found Colby’s silhouette, a small child riding on his shoulders as he sprinted through the waves. The little girl’s mouth was open in laughter, her dark curly hair sticking to her round cheeks. Colby’s muscular chest and flat stomach were on full display. Yup. He’d definitely grown up.

“So glad that you and Colby are coming together,” LaChelle said.

Regan started toward him. “Yeah. Fun to reconnect.”

Matt started to tell LaChelle about the pale, gawky kid Colby used to be. Regan moved forward until she found herself knee deep in the water, needing space after their first meeting. Kylee jumped in the waves, about chest-deep and looking more like a healthy human than she had since before their first flight. Awful that she’d been so sick and hadn’t been able to enjoy being pregnant the way a person should.

An elbow brushed hers, and Regan jumped. She really had to try and keep her brain in check to keep from looking like a spacey idiot.

“Hey,” Colby said. “You look thoughtful.”

Regan pulled in a long breath. “Probably too thoughtful.”

“Is it weird?” he asked. “Being here for this?”

Again, weird wasn’t the right word. “Wanna go for a swim and distract me?”

Colby was both familiar and so different—a strange marriage of a person she thought she’d always be able to recognize, and then the hunky version of that same friend.

“I’ll grab snorkels?” he offered before pointing to the end of the beach. “There’s a great coral bed just off there if you’re up for it.”

Was she? There was the same earnest interest in his eyes that he’d held as a teen. Then, it was one of the reasons she avoided him—no reason to urge the kid along when she wasn’t interested. Now…Now, she didn’t know what she was. “Yeah,” she answered. “I’m up for it.”