The Wright Choice

by Kristy Gibs

  I wish you weren’t leaving tomorrow...

  I stared down at the e-mail displayed on my phone. Those six words made me rethink everything. Preston Channing wished I wasn’t going to study abroad in Europe for the next year. Just my luck. Our friendship exploded the last few weeks. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much I was going to miss Preston. It wasn’t even because I thought about the time we spent together constantly or that he was the last person on my mind before I went to bed; it was so much more than those feelings. I was going to miss my friend. Besides Lucy and my brother, Jax, Preston was the only other person I let in, and tomorrow, I’d be flying across the world.

  From: E.Costa@Stanford.edu

  To: P.Channing@Stanford.edu

  Sent: Fri 8/24/18 2:25 pm

  Subject: re: World Traveler

  It’s only a year.

  From: P.Channing@Stanford.edu

  To: E.Costa@Stanford.edu

  Sent: Fri 8/24/18 2:33 p.m.

  Subject: re:re: World Traveler

  So I can look at it every day.

  Preston attached a picture in the e-mail, I was almost nervous to open it, what could it be? Double clicking on the little paperclip, a picture popped up, and I gasped. My drawing from the day he showed up at Baylands was framed and hanging on his wall in his room. I felt tears well up. Leaving tomorrow was going to be hard.

  3

  Ella

  1 Year later

  “Mom, I'm home!” I yelled as I walked through the large double doors of my parents’ foyer, dragging the extra-large suitcase behind me. It had only been a year since I’d been home, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. I could hear the faint sound of talking coming from somewhere.

  “Ella, honey, is that you?” I heard my mother call before she appeared in front of me, grabbing me immediately into a tight hug. “Oh, sweetie. I am so glad you’re home. We all missed you so much,” she confessed as she pulled away from me. Holding both of my arms, she looked me up and down; a pleased smile spread across her face. “You look beautiful, El. I barely recognize you.”

  I smiled at her compliment. I had changed, not only physically but mentally too. It had been six months since Preston broke my heart. After his confession that he met someone, I hadn’t spoken to him since. His new romance motivated me to search for my own happiness.

  Eight months in London and a month traveling throughout Europe gave me a different perspective. I saw some of the most beautiful places, and then spent the last three months in Italy, visiting my father’s family. It was the longest I had ever stayed with them. Normally, it was only a few weeks in the summer, but spending these last few months with them made me fall in love with Italy all over again.

  “I am so sorry I didn’t get to pick you up at the airport. Things have been crazy here!”

  “It’s okay...” I muttered. There was no point in showing how disappointed I was that not one person in my family came to pick me up.

  “Why don’t you run up and get changed? We have a houseful.”

  A houseful for what? I thought.

  My mother smiled before explaining, “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but Mia is engaged! Can you believe it? It happened last weekend, so we’re hosting a dinner for the families.”

  “Engaged?” I hadn’t talked to her much over this last year. A few times, my mom had mentioned Mia was dating, but she never made it out to be married-serious. Poor guy probably has no idea what he is in store for.

  “Yes. Go change, so you can meet everyone.” She turned and hustled back toward the dining room.

  Who was she engaged to? Mia and I had never been close. Mia was two years younger than me, and even though my mom married her dad when she was ten, until she turned eighteen, Mia stayed with her mom while my stepbrother stayed with their dad. When Mia came to visit on the weekends, we barely hung out.

  After hurrying to my bedroom for a quick shower to get the airplane germs off of me, I searched my suitcase for one of the several simple dresses I acquired overseas. With my pink toiletry bag in hand, I applied a small amount of makeup and ran a brush through my long waves, leaving my lightly sun-kissed brown hair down. Satisfied with my hair and makeup, I slipped on a pair of nude heels and stood in front of my floor-length mirror before heading toward the party.

  I mumbled a few hellos to people as I passed them. I had no idea who they were, and they probably had no clue who I was either. I walked out onto the covered patio, and there stood my stepsister with a glass of champagne in her hand and her signature condescending scowl.

  Welcome home, Ella, I said to myself as I walked toward her. It was only right to congratulate her.

  “Wow, Ella. I almost didn’t recognize you without the glasses and the mess.” My stepsister snickered along with her group of mean girls. I’ve been home less than an hour, and Mia was already being a bitch. Some things never changed.

  “Hello, Mia. Congratulations on your engagement. Who would have thought?” I smiled sweetly as her smirk faltered. Normally, I didn’t play into her bitchiness, but I was tired.

  “Thank you.” She held out her hand, assuming I wanted a peek at the hideous rock on her finger. I didn’t. Looking past me, she grinned. “Oh, honey, please come say hello to my stepsister, Ella. I think you may already know each other.”

  Know each other? I had a terrible feeling. I wanted to turn around badly, but I stood still as a statue, the hairs on my neck standing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him approach. As soon as he stood in front of me, arms linked with Mia, I thought I was going to faint.

  “Preston Channing,” Mia announced in a singsong.

  I held the fake smile plastered on my face while I died inside. Preston, my Preston, was engaged to Mia— my younger, gorgeous, popular, stepsister. I felt like I had been sucker-punched.

  “Hello, Ella,” Preston said with a guilty look on his face.

  This had to be a joke, I thought. “Congratulations.” I pushed out and glanced around, hoping for some excuse to walk away.

  “Oh, you came down. Did you formally meet Preston?” my mom said as she and my stepdad approached us.

  All I could do was nod and keep the puke down.

  “Ella, did you know Preston was at Stanford too? Such a small world,” Mom added.

  “Yes, very small...” I choked out. I wondered what everyone would think if I announced he was supposed to come to Europe and visit me.

  “Jaxson,” Connor, my stepdad, called to him. “Ella is home!” It was almost scary how much Jax looked like Connor. Jax was slightly taller, and his sandy brown hair was a bit longer, while Connor had a bit of gray sprinkled throughout, but there was no denying their relation. They even walked similar, which, on more than one occasion, we teased them about.

  I turned to see my stepbrother stroll toward me, and I finally smiled. I was so glad when he approached the group, taking the attention off of me. As opposed to Mia, I loved Jaxson. He was six years older than me, and the minute we met, he took on the role of big brother.

  “Elle-Belle!” He picked me up and gave me a hug.

  “Hey.” I kissed his cheek, and he put me down before putting his arm around me.

  “I missed you, kid. Damn, you look great, sis.”

  Mia rolled her eyes. She and Jaxson weren’t close; even when their parents were married, they never bonded. It pissed her off at how close the two of us were.

  Linking my arm through his, I guided him toward the other side of the patio. “Missed you too... Seems I missed a lot?”

  He rolled his eyes.

  I caught Preston staring at me. I tried my hardest not to pay any attention to him, but it was hard not to. How did I not know about this?

  “If I could have everyone's attention. Now that the entire family is here...” Connor called out to the room, and I turned toward our parents. The room immediately fell quiet. “I would like to make a toast. We are so happy for you both. Cheers to the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Channing. Welcome to the
family, Preston.” Connor held his hand out to Preston, and alongside him, my mother beamed.

  All eyes were on the beautiful couple, the couple I had no idea existed until today.

  Mia smiled up at Preston, and he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. The room cheered, and glasses clinked. I was just about to make an exit when I heard someone ask for details about the wedding. “Oh, Mia, have you set a date?”

  Mia gazed adoringly up at Preston.

  Don’t puke, Ella, I chanted to myself, over and over, trying to ignore whatever plans she was about to divulge. I grabbed another glass of champagne from the nearby waiter and took a long sip when the second most horrible thing she could ever do to me happened.

  “We are getting married in Italy in eight weeks!” she squealed.

  I choked on my drink. My brother patted me on the back. People noticed the commotion we were making, so I pushed him away and looked for the closest exit. I took off toward the other side of the patio, my mind racing as I made my way to my favorite spot on our large property.

  In the middle of our garden, next to the fountain, there’s a bench. As a kid, I had spent many days sitting out here, dreaming and wishing about what my future would hold. Some wishes had included Preston and him being part of my happily ever after.

  While gazing into the fountain, the mist from the water dampened the air. I stared at all the change I had thrown in it over the years. So many wishes were made in this spot. Some that came true, some that would never. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear the approach.

  “I didn’t know how to tell you, Ella.”

  Preston stood not five feet from me; his arms were folded across his chest, an unreadable look on his face.

  “How about, ‘Hey, Ella. I am dating your sister.’ Or better yet, ‘I am marrying her.’” He had e-mailed me so many times, even if he didn’t want to tell me specifics, a courtesy e-mail would have been nice.

  He winced at my tone. “It just happened so suddenly.”

  Here we go. Time for the excuses. “I’m sure. Six months is so sudden,” I said sarcastically.

  “I ran into her at a party when I came home for Christmas. I found out you were her sister, and I told her how we talked all the time, and then she and I started talking, and...”

  “Spare me the details, please.” I groaned, putting my face in my hands. I wish I was still in Europe.

  “She is a good fit for me.”

  “Yeah. She will be the perfect trophy wife, Preston. Something I thought you didn’t want, if my memory serves me correctly?”

  Running his hands through his hair, he began to pace. “Come on, El. You know how it is for people like me.”

  Rich, entitled, arrogant, selfish. I could keep going, but it wasn’t worth it.

  “You better get back inside to your fiancé,” I snapped.

  He hunched his shoulders. If it were anyone else, I would almost feel bad for him, but he knew things no one else knew. Things about Mia and how she treated me all these years, and I come home to find him engaged to her.

  Did he tell her everything I told him? Did they laugh about poor Ella, the nerd stepsister?

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Ella.” He turned to walk away before he stopped and turned back around. “You look great, by the way.” As if saying that would magically make everything he did to me okay.

  “Asshole,” I muttered before the tears fell.

  Thoughts of moving to Italy permanently swirled in my mind. Sure, I would miss my mom, Connor, and Jaxson, but they could come visit me. California didn’t feel like home anymore. In Italy, I felt like me. I belonged. My distant family would take me back in a heartbeat—maybe I could get another visa?

  “They make a terrible couple, don’t they?” I jumped at the voice behind me.

  Turning to face the stranger, I wiped the tears from my face. He casually leaned against a pillar; I couldn’t help but take in how attractive he was: dark hair, dark eyes, a half-drunk glass of champagne in his hand, and a faint smile on his face. Well over six feet and dressed in a nice suit that didn’t hide his muscular frame. Underneath all that cloth, he probably had an incredible body.

  “Terrible, but beautiful,” I whispered.

  The newcomer scowled and moved to sit next to me on the bench. “On the surface, maybe,” he emphasized the word. “My name is Ashton, but you can call me Ash.” I just stared at him, and he smiled. “I’m Preston's older, cooler, and much better-looking cousin.”

  I laughed at his cockiness. “I’m Ella. Mia’s older sister – well, stepsister.”

  “Ah... Make sense.”

  “What makes sense?” I had to ask. I saw amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked over at me. There was an odd pull I had toward this stranger. Looking over his face, my eyes locked with his, I had to stop myself from running my fingers over his square jaw. I wasn’t normally a fan of drawing portraits, but my fingers itched to hold a brush and capture every curve, every line that made up who he was. My mind swirled to thoughts of him sitting on this bench, casually leaning his arms on his thighs looking beyond the garden. I sat opposite him, my hand floating over the canvas as the colors began to form a picture.

  I broke eye contact as he spoke. I was lost in my own thoughts; I forgot we were mid-conversation. “Why she’s been bitchier than normal today.” He shrugged as if that was supposed to make me suddenly understand.

  “I’m not following?” Although, I wouldn’t deny she was being a bitch.

  “Well, if my gorgeous sister walked into the room and had all eyes on her at my engagement party, I would be a bitch too.”

  I burst out laughing. “Me, beautiful? All eyes on me?” Yeah, right. This guy had jokes. “Ash, you are too funny. Thank you for making me laugh.” He made me feel a tad bit better.

  He leaned in closer, looking into my eyes. I felt like he was looking into my soul. “I wasn’t joking. As soon as you walked into the room, all of the air left. The room went quiet, and every man had their eyes on you.” He was inches from me, and a chill ran down the length of my spine. My heart raced, and for a moment, all thoughts of Preston and Mia were out of my head. A part of me wanted to lean in and kiss this stranger – just to see what it would feel like. I had kissed men before, but I knew kissing him would be entirely different.

  Just as I was about to lean in, I heard a round of applause coming from the direction of the house, pulling me from the intimate moment.

  “I should get back...” I whispered as I moved back.

  Ash grinned back at me. “I hope I get to see you again soon, Ella.”

  I didn’t respond and practically ran back toward the house.

  4

  Ash

  Were they friends? Were they lovers? I didn’t take much interest in my cousin’s personal life, but the moment I heard him apologize to her, I wanted nothing more than to pound his face in. How could anyone hurt someone as beautiful as her?

  After he retreated away from her, I moved a bit closer. Seeing her on the bench, tears streaming down her face, I had to force myself to keep my distance. I wanted to scoop her up into my arms and do everything in my power to see her smile.

  When she first noticed me, I couldn’t hide the smirk on my face. A man knows when a female appreciates what she sees, but after realizing how distraught she seemed, I couldn’t help but sit next to her.

  Her laughing at my confessions that she was beautiful didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t lie to her. The minute she walked into the room, she took my breath away, and I noticed more than a few of the men in attendance look her way too. Didn’t she realize how magnificent she was? She reminded me of a goddess. Captivating but untouchable, and I wanted to touch. Her cherry red lips begged to be kissed, and my hands itched to run them through her wavy hair.

  There was something about her that made me want to get to know her better. Much better. I watched the water sprouting out of the top of the fountain as I finished what remained of my champagne.


  “Ash?” I turned to see Jaxson approach.

  “What are you doing out here?” Following your sister, I wanted to admit but couldn’t.

  “Just out for a stroll. It’s nice out here.”

  He scanned the area, barely paying attention to anything I said, but he nodded. “Have you seen my sister? She ran off in this direction a few minutes ago?”

  Playing dumb, I shook my head.

  “Okay. Well, if you see her, let me know.” He took off before I could answer. His relationship to Ella could potentially put a wrench in the wild thoughts I was having about her. I knew Jaxson had a stepsister, but in all the years we were friends, I never crossed paths with her, but I would worry about that and him later.

  When I made my way back to the party, I thought about talking to her again, but tonight wasn’t the right place, so I kept my distance.

  As I was getting another drink, I overheard the end of a conversation Connor was having with one of the guests. He was telling them Ella just returned from studying abroad in Europe. He pointed to several paintings hung in the dining room, gushing about Ella’s work. I wasn’t much into art, but anyone with half a brain could tell she was talented.

  “Hey, Jax,” I called over to my best friend.

  “Having fun?” he teased.

  “As much as you are.” Neither of us wanted to be here, but out of family obligation, we were. Preston and I weren’t close, but his parents took me in when I didn’t have anywhere else to go and always treated me like a son. At one point, my uncle even wanted me to be part of his empire, which I politely declined. I wasn’t lawyer material. “I heard your dad talk about how your sister is an artist?” I didn’t want to divulge I had met her earlier.

  “Oh, Ella, yeah. She is brilliant. Since she was kid, she was always drawing on anything she could get her hands on. My dad enrolled her in art school, and now, she has her degree in fine arts.”