Kendall was dressed in her robe and making a pot of coffee when her mother let herself into the condo. She looked at Erica in surprise… not expecting to see her mother so soon after returning from Paris. She and Zach had just arrived the day before, and were still trying to figure out how to tell her family of their sudden marriage.
"Kendall… we've been quite worried about you," Erica started. "You race off to Paris on the spur of the moment and we don't hear a word for more than three weeks… and then this appears in the paper the day after you return!"
Kendall accepted the newspaper her mother handed her, and was just starting to open it when they heard a voice calling from the bedroom, "Kendall… is that fresh coffee I smell?"
Zach stopped suddenly as he followed his voice into the kitchen, and discovered his mother-in-law sitting at the counter. He was completely undressed accept for a towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand drying his hair. He looked at her, smiled broadly, and said, "Good morning, Erica."
Erica was so shocked that she could only huff, and Zach laughed before looking at Kendall, "I'll just go put on some clothes. Could you fix me a cup of that coffee when it's ready?"
Kendall nodded and laughed before turning to her mother, knowing that they were both in for a tongue lashing based on the expression on Erica's face.
"Well… that certainly explains the picture in the newspaper!" Erica said with barely contained rage. "What is it with you and those Cambias men, Kendall? Do you not have an ounce of pride? After all that family has done to us and you're… you're… sleeping… with Zach Slater!"
"Oh, Mother! You have no idea," Kendall answered with barely contained mirth. She knew that the humor would not last long in the face of Erica's rage… but she intended to enjoy every minute that she could get out of it. The fact that her words were already almost verbatim what Zach had predicted on their plane trip home made it even harder to suppress her laughter.
"That's right… laugh it up at my expense… you know, I still haven't forgotten how you and Ethan treated me that morning I was here!" Erica protested indignantly.
"Gee, Mother, do you think maybe that means you should stop showing up unannounced?" Kendall asked, trying to keep a straight face.
"Kendall… I'm only concerned for your welfare. Now look at that newspaper and explain to me what you were doing in Paris with Zach," Erica answered a little more calmly. "Imagine my surprise when I opened the morning paper and find that photo of you and Zach playing with Miranda in some park."
Kendall looked at the picture and remembered what fun they had that day. The sun had been warm and Zach had arranged for a picnic in Luxembourg Gardens. In the picture, Miranda was holding a red balloon that Zach had given her, and he was standing behind Kendall, with his arms wrapped around her, as they laughed at their niece's antics.
Kendall glanced at her mother, and said simply, "It was a good day."
Just at that moment, Zach returned to the kitchen fully dressed in a suit and tie. Before he could say anything, Kendall handed him a cup of coffee that he accepted with his left hand… and Erica noticed the wedding ring on his third finger immediately.
"I didn't realize you had married, Zach. Who's the unlucky woman?" she said cattily and without thinking.
"I hope she doesn't think she's unlucky, Erica," Zach replied before looking at Kendall. "Do you feel unlucky, sweetheart?"
Erica glanced from Kendall to Zach and back to her daughter before saying, "Please tell me this is a bad joke… he can't be serious… you didn't marry this man… did you?"
"Yes, Mother, I did. Zach and I were married in Italy," Kendall replied as she held up her left hand and waved her own rings at her mother.
"Why on earth would you do that, Kendall? Darling, what kind of hold does he have over you?" Erica pleaded. "Whatever it is, it's not too late to get the marriage annulled… that is if it's even a legal marriage…"
"Oh, it's legal Erica… and we have no intention of getting an annulment… you'll just have to get used to me for a son-in-law… Mom," Zach said with as much sarcasm as Erica had been directing toward them.
To give her mother a few minutes to assimilate all the information she had been bombarded with, Kendall showed the picture from the newspaper to Zach, "Remember when you bought Miranda that balloon at Luxembourg? Look what showed up in today's paper."
Zach took it from Kendall's hand and read the caption aloud, "Cambias heirs Miranda Montgomery and Zachary Slater enjoy an outing in Paris with Pine Valley resident Kendall Hart. Very nice… who took the picture?"
"That's a good question…" Kendall answered.
"I don't like the idea of some photographer following Miranda around Paris. We need to call Bianca later and warn her… and up their security," Zach said brusquely. "This probably also means that we should make some sort of announcement about our wedding… if they've been following Miranda, it's possible that they uncovered our marriage as well. I'll get someone on it right away."
Zach turned abruptly and walked back to the bedroom, leaving Kendall and Erica staring at each other in stunned silence. Kendall was the first to break the silence, "If you'll excuse me, Mother, it's kind of a busy morning. Maybe we can have dinner later this week… that is… if you're still speaking to me."
"Of course… that's a lovely idea, Kendall… we'll have dinner," Erica answered distractedly. "I'll call you later with the details… I need to check Jackson's schedule."
"That sounds good… I'll talk to you later," Kendall replied as she escorted her mother to the door. After closing the door behind her, Kendall raced back to the bedroom and said to Zach, "We have to talk… Erica's up to something."
"A private room at the Valley Inn… that's the best you could do?" Kendall asked her husband incredulously. "They're going to eat us for dinner, you know."
Zach smiled tolerantly at Kendall, "And just where would you have preferred we do this?… Your mother's penthouse?… Jackson's loft?… It's not as if there are many choices… and we certainly can't fit them all in either of our condos… or would you like to have a little outdoor barbecue in the courtyard?"
"Why not at the casino? Something that will give us an edge… there's a gambling term… something about the odds being with the house…" Kendall countered. "We don't stand a chance against all of them unless we have some kind of advantage…"
"Then maybe we should have them to dinner at my condo… I mean the specter of my brother Michael would make for such an enjoyable meal…" Zach said with a dry laugh. "I'd love to have it at the casino… but you know as well as I do that none of them would show up… not after what happened the last time we were all gathered there for dinner."
"Oh… yeah… the murder game…" Kendall said softly. "Do you realize how incredibly stupid that was?"
He looked at her in exasperation, "As a matter of fact, I do realize that it wasn't one of my finer moments… but that doesn't solve our current dilemma, does it?"
"I know… but the Valley Inn is like home turf to my mother…" Kendall said.
"Kendall… we just have to be strong… the last time I checked we were both consenting, legal adults… it really doesn't matter what they think of the choices we make… and if they can't accept them… well…" Zach explained patiently.
"Well… well what? Just what do you have up your sleeve that will overcome all those objections?" she asked curiously.
"We can leave… being close to your family is the only reason we have for living in Pine Valley. If they can't accept our marriage… then we move. We could get an apartment in Paris, and be close to Bianca and Miranda… or maybe London… Do you like London? We could move back to Vegas…" Zach offered.
"What! And live in that place you shared with Maria? No thank you!" Kendall said emphatically.
"Of course not… a new place, just for us… but I think you'd love the desert," Zach said quietly.
"I know… why don't we just find a place in each of those cities… become a truly cosmopolitan couple…" Kendall said with sarcasm.
Zach merely laughed, "What a great idea… a pied à terre in Paris, a villa in Rome, a townhouse in London… we could use my Vegas apartment… and a condo in Pine Valley… of course we'd need our own jet, but I'm sure that could be arranged… after all, Little Chandler kept his fueled and ready to kidnap Miranda at a moment's notice… and I'm certainly better off than he is…"
"Zach… I'm serious…" Kendall protested.
"So am I, Kendall," he answered her in a calm and quiet voice.
She turned and looked at him, "You are… aren't you? You'd just pick up and move and never speak to any of them again…"
He said in the same quiet voice, "I've done it before."
Kendall shivered as if the room had turned suddenly colder, "I don't like that side of you, Zach… it's just as scary as it was that day Paul Cramer came to your office… please… please don't…"
Zach's smile transformed his face and he reached out, pulling her into his embrace, "Come here… and stop worrying… it's bad for the baby." Kendall looked up at him and he kissed her softly before continuing, "I think it's better if we get it all out in the open at once… we might as well tell them everything instead of dragging it out… after all, you'll soon be needing those designer maternity clothes that you and Bianca bought in Paris."
Kendall groaned, "You are trying to make this difficult, aren't you?"
"Where is my fiery Kendall? The woman who doesn't give a damn what anyone else thinks? That woman would show up at dinner tonight… make her announcement… and dare anyone to argue with her," Zach said. "I honestly don't care what they say or do, and I wish you could feel the same way."
"Can we blame it on hormones? Seems like I can't get my emotions under control anymore… and so much has happened so quickly," she said, pulling out of his embrace. "I just can't stand the thought of arguing and yelling… and my mother… she's on a crusade to get this marriage annulled… poor Bianca… she got an earful…"
"And what did Bianca tell your mother? To mind her own business? To leave us alone and let us live our lives?" he said quietly.
"Yeah… something like that… but… I hate… I hate that anyone will think that we had to get married…"
Zach laughed heartily, "In this day and age, no one gets married just because they've got a baby on the way! Besides… who cares if anyone subscribes to that antiquated notion?"
Kendall glanced at him and giggled, "You're right… now that I've said it out loud it does sound pretty silly. Okay… dinner at the Valley Inn… I think I'll wear scarlet…"
"You might want to re-think that… Lily's on the guest list," Zach commented.
"Oh, okay… um… who else is going to be there?" she said, opening her closet and looking through the dresses.
"The usual list of suspects… Erica, Jackson… Lily, Reggie… Lavery and Greenlee… Ethan… Mrs. Fargate… and your mother wants to include Opal and Palmer Cortland… I'm sure I'm missing someone… oh, yes, I believe Livia, Chief Frye and his daughter are coming…" Zach said, ticking his fingers as he named them from memory.
"Myrtle… she's definitely coming?" Kendall asked as she pulled a dress from the closet and held it in front of her.
"Oh, yes… she said she wouldn't miss it for the world," Zach answered. "Actually Bianca called and told her our news before we arrived back in Pine Valley… she's completely on our side."
"My mother is not going to happy about that," Kendall laughed, choosing another dress and turning around for Zach's opinion. "Do you think Ethan will show up?"
He smiled and nodded at her choice before answering, "I don't know… but I'm guessing that he will… just to try and make trouble. But I've arranged for extra security… I don't like that we've been the target of nosy photographers… if he misbehaves he'll be escorted from the premises."
"Why are you suddenly so worried about security?"
"Kendall… I'm always worried about security," Zach answered simply. When she looked at him in confusion, "Too many people have been hurt due to lax security… you and our child are much too important to take any chances. You'll just have to get used to it."
"You mean… I'm under constant surveillance? No… no way… absolutely not, Zach Slater," she said in anger. "You will not be spying on me."
Zach looked at her, exasperation etched into his face, "I'm not spying on you… I'm keeping you safe. If you like, I'll have the reports delivered directly to you… in sealed envelopes…"
"I don't get it… is there something about you… and your business dealings that will put us in danger? Is Erica right? Did I make a huge mistake? Have I put our child at risk because I'm your wife?" Kendall asked the questions in rapid-fire succession. "Come to think of it, I don't know anything about you… and what was that crack you made at Bianca's about not being able to testify against you?"
Zach looked at her, the pain evident in his eyes as he walked over and sat on the bed. He remained quiet for a few minutes before answering, "You can ask me anything, Kendall. You're my wife and I promise that I'll answer you with the truth."
Kendall looked at him, remaining quiet as he continued, "I have done nothing to deliberately make us a target, and as far as I know there are no outstanding warrants for my arrest. However, I've been in the casino business for a long time and there are unsavory elements to that industry… that I have never avoided dealing with. Plus, there are those who take exception to our plans for reorganizing Cambias. You and the baby are too important to risk… as are Bianca and Miranda… a little caution is just good sense."
"I'm… I'm sorry that I doubted you, but I've never been very good at trusting people," she answered softly as she crossed the room and sat next to him
"Neither have I," he answered, pulling her close. "I hope that we can learn to trust each other… but I know that we've got a long way to go. Is there anything else that you'd like to ask me?"
"No… at least not now… but I'd like to know… to know who you were and what you did after… after Alex died…" she responded shyly.
"That's a story for another day… and one that I will tell you…" he said softly. "But I think that we should get ready for dinner right now, don't you?"
Kendall nodded agreement and went back to selecting her wardrobe as Zach left for his condo, which they had decided would be used as his Pine Valley office until they could find a place that would better accommodate their needs.
