Page 2 of Homewrecker

“Bye.” Ashley didn’t bother promising to do so. Being there was hard enough—having fun was asking way too much. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she sat on top of the toilet seat for a long moment, concentrating on her breathing and not letting herself think about anything else.

Focus on your breath.

Breathe in, two three four five, breathe out, two three four five.

The sound of the door opening made her jump.

“Shhh, Marshall, we have to be quiet.” The sultry whisper came from a vaguely familiar voice, and Ashley frowned. She shifted to the side, quietly, to peek through the crack between the door and the side of the stall.

The couple who had just crashed her solo pity party moved in front of her, the man pressing the woman up against the sink. The woman was wearing wedding colors… wait… holy fuck! That was Rebecca’s mom, but that was definitelynotRebecca’s dad kissing his way down her neck, unless her dad’s hair had changed color. Ashley had never met him in person, but she’d seen pictures, and Rebecca’s dad had black hair, just like her.

This man was almost platinum blond.

Wow. Apparently, like mother, like daughter. No wonder Rebecca didn’t respect the sanctity of marriage with a mother like this. Ashley’s hand tightened on her phone. Did she dare try to get a picture? Or, better yet, a video? Or would her phone be too loud in such a quiet space and give away that they had a witness?

“I can’t take this much longer, Janet.” The man groaned, thrusting his hips against the woman through their clothes. Ew.Ashley felt like gagging all over again. Not that Rebecca’s mom was bad looking. She was beautiful. But that didn’t mean that Ashley wanted to watch this.

On the other hand, it was kind of like watching a train wreck. Riveting in its own way, possibly because Ashley now knew Rebecca’s parents’ marriage was on the rocks, too, and knowledge was power. Rebecca had kept her ignorant of the fact that she was fucking Ashley’s dad, and now Ashley knew something Rebecca didn’t.

Which kept her silent, watching and listening to the two on the other side of the stall door.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I thought for sure Lincoln was cheating on me. We haven’t had sex in months. Not since you and I....” More frantic kissing.

Blegh.

Ashley made a face, but stayed silent. She was going to collect all the hot tea before finding the best moment to throw it over everyone. Maybe in the middle of the ceremony today. That could be fun.

“I almost have everything ready. If you can catch him cheating, even better, but you won’t need his money.”

“I deserve it, though. I’d barely get half of what I deserve, thanks to that stupid prenup… unless I can prove infidelity.” The exasperation in her voice was clear, as was the greed. “We’d be set up for life.”

Interesting. Mrs. Black was cheating on Mr. Black but needed to prove he was in order to get what she wanted out of the prenup. Ashley couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Black would get if it was discovered she was cheating. She’d known Rebecca’s family was wealthy—so was hers—they’d met while getting their master’s at the same elite school—but Ashley’s parents hadn’t had a prenup.

They’d married for love.

And look how that had turned out.

Supposedly, Ashley’s dad was marrying for love for a second time, but Ashley was becoming more and more convinced Rebecca was taking him for a ride. Especially after hearing Rebecca’s mom. How far did the apple fall from the tree?

“Come on, we have to get back before anyone notices us missing,” Mrs. Black said, and Marshall groaned.

Ashley wondered if that was his first name or his last name.

Surely, she could find out.

This wedding had just gotten a lot more interesting.

2

Lincoln

Looking at his baby girl, Lincoln wished he felt something other than dread. How was he supposed to feel when she was marrying a man two years older than him? This wasn’t how he’d pictured her wedding day or how he thought he’d feel when he first saw her in her wedding dress.

“Come on, Father of the Bride,” the photographer said with mock cheerfulness, desperation clear in her tone. “I know you’ve got a smile in there somewhere!”

Duly reminded that his every facial expression was being documented, Lincoln forced a smile onto his face. It made his cheeks hurt, but he did it because he loved his baby girl and wanted her to be happy.

He just wasn’t sure she was on the path to a happily-ever-after.

---