Chapter 6
6
Lincoln
Ashley Vaughn was still drinking. Why watching her get completely wasted bothered him, he wasn’t sure. Maybe because she was the only true innocent in all of this. Her harsh words had gotten under his skin and stuck there.
He had tried to speak up about Rebecca’s relationship once he’d found out about it, but by then, it had basically been a done deal. Rebecca had introduced Wiley to Janet first because she said she knew Lincoln wouldn’t approve. He hadn’t. But he’d also not liked the idea of her hiding things from him for that reason, so he’d been determined to prove her wrong.
Nothing matters except that she’s happy.
The thought was becoming more bitter every time it flitted through his head, especially when he couldn’t escape how Rebecca’s choices had affected someone else. He also couldn’t escape the way his own daughter seemed intent on rubbing the marriage in Ashley’s face.
So, what did all of that say about how well he’d done as a parent? Sure, he could place the blame on Janet for overindulging Rebecca and undermining his rules, but that ignored the fact he let both of them get away with it. That he gave up and gave in instead of pushing for what he knew was right.
He wasn’t blameless.
Which definitely contributed to why he kept his eye on Ashley Vaughn.
The other part was that… well, fuck. His wife was cheating on him. His daughter had just married a man older than him. And Ashley Vaughn was a beautiful young woman. There was a fucked-up part of his brain that kept thinking he should let Wiley know what it felt like to have his daughter seduced by a man nearly twice her age.
What was good for the gander was good for the… other gander.
He also might have had a few too many drinks, though he wasn’t anywhere near to Ashley’s level. She looked pretty sober right now, sitting in her chair, but he’d seen her chugging champagne long before the toasts. A server had come by to refill the glass for her, and no one stopped him, even though one of the women at the table looked disapproving.
Wasn’t anyone looking out for her?
Anger at Wiley was brewing in the center of his chest. He knew it was partly anger at Janet. Just sitting next to her while she made all sorts of comments about their wedding and marriage, making it sound like they were a happy couple, even though she was cheating on him, made him want to punch something. But a good chunk of his anger was directed at Wiley.
What the hell was the man thinking, getting married the day after his divorce? Insisting his daughter be there without actually keeping an eye on her during what had to be an incredibly difficult day?
Instead, he was all over his new wife.
They were being incredibly handsy, all through the first dance and through their welcome speech, and now they were playing kissy face at the table for two that was directly in front of the dance floor. It was an overly effusive display of affection, even for a wedding, and Lincoln couldn’t help but cynically think it seemed more of a performance than anything else.
Then again, weren’t most people at weddings? Janet was certainly putting on a hell of a performance right now. Lincoln could barely stand to be next to her. At least he wasn’t being expected to perform, other than pretending that he was happily married to Janet.
Wiley and Rebecca had decided to skip the Father-Daughter dance, Rebecca stating that since Wiley’s mother was unable to dance with him, she would give up her dance with Lincoln. Honestly, Lincoln hadn’t minded when she told him. He’d seen it as a kindness on her part, both for Wiley and because Lincoln hated dancing in front of people.
Now, he wondered if it was because her dance with Wiley already looked a little too much like a Father-Daughter dance, and the happy couple had been worried about the comparisons people might make.
“Lincoln, are you listening to me?” Janet’s voice grated in his ear, and it was all he could do not to wince away from her.
“No, sorry, I missed that. What were you saying?”
She rolled her eyes, looking at the rest of their family members around the table.
“Men. They never listen, do they? It’s amazing we can put up with them at all.”
His jaw clenched against any retort he might have made. This wasn’t the time or the place. She remained blissfully unaware that he knew about her infidelity. No one else knew about it, either, which meant erupting at her would seem like a severe overreaction on his part.
Definitely not what he would want people to remember about his daughter’s wedding day.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley Vaughn get to her feet, and he tensed for an entirely different reason. Rebecca and Wiley were out on the dance floor, dancing very close, and constantly lip-locked, regardless of what music was playing. Was she going to make a scene?
No, it looked like she was leaving.
How drunk was she? She wasn’t going to drive, was she?
No matter how she felt about his and Janet paying for this wedding, it wasn’t nearly as stupid as driving drunk would be.
Obviously, her own father wasn’t going to do shit to take care of.
Growling under his breath, Lincoln got to his feet.
“Lincoln! Where are you going?” Janet’s shrill question reminded him that she’d been trying to talk to him.
Oh, well. He’d just be giving her something else to complain about when it came to him. Maybe that would make her happy. It wasn’t like it mattered, anyway. Their marriage was over, even if he hadn’t announced it to her yet. She’d made the decision for them both when she’d decided to have an affair.
“I need some air,” he shot back, putting his hand on the back of a chair to help him keep on the right path. Half turning had upset his equilibrium.
Shit, how much had he had to drink?
And how much of his dinner had he not eaten?
A tiny voice in his head said he should turn around and sit back down, that he was in no state to be going after his new son-in-law’s daughter. That whatever she was going through, it wasn’t his business.
But hell. Wiley was taking care of Rebecca right now, so why shouldn’t Lincoln return the favor and take care of Ashley?
Exactly what ‘take care of’ meant, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he knew he couldn’t let her go get in a car and drive away. If he was feeling the alcohol this much, she would be even worse off.
He escaped not a moment too soon. As he went through the door, he could hear the DJ announcing that it was time for the toasts.
No, thank you.
He hadn’t been asked to make one and didn’t particularly want to sit around and listen to them.
Seeing Ashley turn the corner up ahead, stumbling drunkenly, he picked up his pace. Having something to focus on him made him feel a little more confident on his feet—not to mention his desire to get the fuck away from the reception just in case his daughter changed her mind about having him talk and sent someone looking for him.
Rounding the corner, he came to a halt when he found her a few feet away, leaning against the wall. She jumped as he appeared, nearly falling over, and he lurched forward to catch her again—which almost knocked him over because he wasn’t all that steady on his feet, either.
Twisting, he managed to keep from falling and to keep her from falling, but he ended up leaning against the wall nearly where she had been, with her in his arms. Her body pressed against his, hands on his chest, as she stared up at him wide-eyed.
Fuck.
His body stirred in a way he hadn’t felt in far too long, his cock perking up with interest.
The urge to shove her away battled with the knowledge that his wife was cheating on him, so what did he owe her?
She’s half my age.
A twenty-year age difference. Wiley is twenty-three years older than Rebecca. If he can do it, why not me?
She’s my daughter’s daughter-in-law. Her former best friend.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Ashley said breathlessly, still staring at him.
That was when he realized they’d both been staring at each other for a long minute, and neither of them had moved. Considering he was leaning against the wall and she was basically on top of him, he couldn’t move without dislodging her, but she was still leaning all of her weight against him.
Not only that, but the way she was looking at him…
It didn’t matter how drunk he was. His cock understood what that look meant.
And responded accordingly.