The blond guy was Jagger, and his wife was Paisley—Morgan’s best friend.

“And this is Peyton.” Paisley looked lovingly at her son. “Can you wave, Pey?”

The boy tucked his head into his mom’s neck, but once I waved, he did, too, opening and shutting a tiny fist. Had Finley really ever been that small?

“So you’re the next-door neighbor,” Ember remarked with a slow smirk, glancing at Sam, who nodded.

“That would be me.” I smiled.

Pretty sure this was exactly how animals felt at the zoo, because they were all staring at me. The women wore curious expressions, and the guys were flat-out skeptical.

Morgan’s hand tightened at my waist as the quiet in the room became stifling. The island felt like a no-man’s land, with Sam, Morgan, and I on one side and her friends on the other.

“You were right,” I told Sam. “Awkward is a good word.”

She scoffed and smacked my arm with the back of her hand. “So did you four want me to get the swinging lightbulb so you can sweat him out in an interrogation right here, or did you want to do it by the bonfire?”

Paisley rolled her eyes, then elbowed her husband when he looked like he was considering it.

“I’d prefer the bonfire, since my friends are down there,” I said with a small shrug.

Morgan and I had set this up a few days ago, thinking it might be a little easier on everyone involved if we had a barbecue to kick off the weekend and break the tension, rather than waiting for Monday, when we’d have another one, of course.

“I second the bonfire,” Sam added.

“Is that okay for Peyton?” Morgan asked, her eyes drifting to the baby. “There are still a couple of hours before sunset.”

“Oh, sure!” Paisley answered. “We’ll just grab his sunshade. Baby?”

“On it,” Jagger answered, heading up the stairs. Guess that answered the question of where everyone was staying.

Once Jagger had the shade, we took the back deck stairs to the path that wound over the dune, and Morgan laced her fingers through mine.

“You doing okay?” I asked.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I paused halfway up the dune and told Sam we’d meet them in a bit as she passed us.

“What’s wrong?” Morgan asked.

Once the others were out of sight, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her.

She melted against me, and that simple kiss transformed into something far more intense than I had planned. When I lifted my head, her eyes were slightly glazed and her posture was infinitely more relaxed.

“That’s better,” I said, tucking her hair behind her ear so I could see her face.

“What was that for?”