The Wrong Choice: Difficult Choices

THE WRONG CHOICE DIFFICULT CHOICES AVA GRAY Copyright © 2023 by Ava Gray All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Created with Vellum ALSO BY AVA GRAY CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE Alpha Billionaire Series Secret Baby with Brother’s Best Friend Just Pretending Loving The One I Should Hate Billionaire and the Barista Coming Home Doctor Daddy Baby Surprise A Fake Fiancée for Christmas Hot Mess Love to Hate You - The Beckett Billionaires Just Another Chance - The Beckett Billionaires Valentine’s Day Proposal Playing with Trouble Series: Chasing What’s Mine Claiming What’s Mine Protecting What’s Mine Saving What’s Mine The Beckett Billionaires Series: Love to Hate You Just Another Chance Standalone’s: Ruthless Love The Best Friend Affair PARANORMAL ROMANCE Maple Lake Shifters Series: Omega Vanished Omega Exiled Omega Coveted Omega Bonded Everton Falls Mated Love Series: The Alpha’s Mate The Wolf’s Wild Mate Saving His Mate Fighting For His Mate Dragons of Las Vegas Series: Thin Ice Silver Lining A Spark in the Dark Fire & Ice Dragons of Las Vegas Boxed Set (The Complete Series) Standalone’s: Fiery Kiss Wild Fate CONTENTS Also by Ava Gray Blurb 1. Prologue 2. Madii 3. Gavin 4. Madii 5. Gavin 6. Madii 7. Gavin 8. Madii 9. Gavin 10. Madii 11. Gavin 12. Madii 13. Gavin 14. Madii 15. Gavin 16. Madii 17. Gavin 18. Madii 19. Gavin 20. Madii 21. Gavin 22. Madii 23. Gavin 24. Madii 25. Gavin 26. Madii 27. Gavin 28. Madii 29. Gavin 30. Excerpt: Valentine’s Day Proposal Subscribe to my Mailing List BLURB The guilt I feel when I find myself unable to stop staring at this hot neurosurgeon is unreal… He quickly went from Dr. Carpenter to just… Gavin. The man is absolutely irresistible and the wrong choice for me. Gavin is responsible for bringing my fiancé out of coma. He’s not supposed to be a shoulder to cry on. Or one to share meals with. But the rules don’t stop him from stealing glances at me. At first, he seemed like a gorgeous distraction from my nightmare. But Gavin is quickly becoming my world. The world I should not be living in. A decade-long gap between us hasn’t been able to stop this obsession. But it’s only a matter of time before my past wakes up and reality hits us both. Are we ready to pay the consequences of what we’ve done? 1 PROLOGUE MADII I took hold of Drew’s hand, pulling him deeper into the small reef. Vibrantly colored fish flittered away from us as we dived. Drew had lagged behind a bit, and the rest of the scuba group was at least twenty meters away. It was everything I dreamed of and more. Drew and I had planned this trip for our bachelor/bachelorette party months ago—though he initially protested. Water wasn’t his thing; he much preferred rock climbing. But I thought the exotic coastal vibe would be good. I remembered the conversation about how mountain climbing would be a much better event for the wedding party to do together, but I had insisted on diving. Being in the water was freeing, no gravity to weigh you down, the colorful world of sea life to entertain you. I wanted to enjoy that with the man I loved more than anything. Drew’s hand slipped out of mine, but I paid no attention. Watching the anemones retreat into themselves as we swam by was fascinating. Fish scattered around me, the shadow of the boat overhead startling me for a moment. We had been warned that we could encounter sharks, though they hadn’t said any had been spotted recently. It had always been a dream of mine to swim with sharks, but it had been difficult enough to convince Drew to do the scuba diving. My hair floated around me in unruly black strands, a mermaid’s aura around my thin frame. I often joked with Drew that I was a mermaid, born for the sea and the waves. But he was more of a mountain man, hiking, fishing, rock climbing. Whatever the adventure, we were in it together, and I couldn’t have been happier. Drew was my world. Just thinking of him made me turn to see where he was. I wanted to show him the bright pink anemone. But when I turned to reach for him, he was farther away than I thought. His arms were stretched out to his sides, his hands limp. I kicked my flippers to propel myself toward him. It was difficult to move as easily in the bulky scuba gear, but I managed. Drew’s back was to me, and it appeared he was playing a joke on me. The little wisps of his hair not pinned down by his scuba mask floated away from his head—rebellious arms reaching outward. I laid my hand on his shoulder, expecting him to turn, but he didn’t. So, I tapped harder, pulling at his shoulder. The joke was not funny, and he was not responding. Maneuvering so I could position myself in front of him. I noticed his eyes were closed. If I could have spoken, I would have let him have a piece of my mind, and for a moment I was frustrated with him. But then I saw the way his lips had a blue hue to them where the regulator puffed them out. I felt a jolt of pain in my chest as adrenaline released. Both hands on his shoulders, I shook him hard, not wanting to believe what I was seeing. Frantic, I spun around, hoping to see our scuba instructor nearby, but the group was too far away now. Cloudy water separated us at a distance far enough they’d never see my panic. Turning back to face him, I realized something was drastically wrong. I