Chance Of A Lifetime

Just Getting Warmed Up

      Everyone's attention immediately focused on the middle-aged blonde woman standing in the doorway, gazing intently at Aerin, and their surprise and confusion morphed into concern at the bride's reaction to the party-crasher. The color immediately drained from her face, and she proceeded to curl into her seat, prompting her new husband to start rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her.

      All of the other men rose from their seats, and Rikki snapped, "Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?"

      When there was no response, Ashley snarled, "Answer the question, lady! You're upsetting my sister, and that's the last thing she needs right now, especially on such a happy day."

      The intruder still refused to respond, continuing to stare intently at Aerin, until Bobby inquired, "Aerin, sweetheart, who the hell is she?"

      "That's my bitch of a mother," she replied, which seemed to surprise everyone else except Aidan, who had pinned her own glare on the older woman, her face wearing an expression that caused Bret's girlfriend Kristi, who was seated across from her, to eye her somewhat warily and edge her chair slightly back from the table. 

      Answering her husband's question seemed to help Aerin regain a bit of her composure, and after responding to young Lucy's admonishment regarding her language, she engaged in a verbal exchange with the older woman, in both English and Italian, before springing up from her chair and dashing from the room, with Bobby in hot pursuit. The older woman watched them leave, then turned to glower at everyone, demanding, "What are y'all looking at, anyway? Is it some sort of a crime to come to my own daughter's wedding?"

      "It might not be a crime, but barging in somewhere that you haven't been invited, and clearly aren't wanted, pretty much makes you the poster girl for bad manners," Ashley retorted. "So I highly recommend that you turn yourself around and head back to wherever it is that you came from."

      "And preferably before my dad gets back," Zach added. "Because I'll guarantee that you won't enjoy being on the receiving end when he finally loses his temper."

      Completely ignoring Zach, she turned a sneer toward Ashley, saying, "And what was that bullshit you were spouting about Aerin being your 'sister', hmm? Cuz unless there's something about her useless, deadbeat daddy that I haven't heard about, you sure as hell aren't any kin of ours."

      Ashley opened his mouth to reply, but was startled into silence when an icy, measured voice hissed, "You have about five seconds to shut your pie-hole before I take care of it myself, you obnoxious, self-absorbed, money-grubbing cow." 

      Everyone's jaws dropped in surprise as Aidan stood up so abruptly that her chair tipped backward onto the floor, and started moving toward the unwanted guest, the brass tips on her heels ringing out like gunshots on the marble tiles. As she stalked across the room, CC leaned toward Ashley's ear and inquired, "Should you maybe, I dunno..., go head off your chick or something?"

      "Not a chance in hell," Ashley responded. "No way I'm getting in the middle of that. I have no desire to go back home with fewer parts than I had when I left."

      Bret chuckled, saying, "Oh, c'mon, dude, it can't be that bad, can it? Don't tell me you haven't had to bust up a cat-fight or two in your time."

      Without even turning to look at the older man, Ashley replied, "Lemme tell you somethin', dude; the last time I saw that look on her face, she was folding some guy's index fingers over the backs of his hands. Piss her off, and she'll do just as much damage as Aerin will, it just takes a bit more effort to set her off"