Zach contrived to look unperturbed, though his stomach contents did a backflip. "Still refuse to believe rock solid DNA evidence?" Kendall narrowed her eyes at him. "I believed in rock solid DNA evidence that Miranda was really Bess, and look where that got me. Speaking of Miranda, you should see how her adorable face scrunches up when her cheek is getting swabbed. Ethan's face has just the same scrunch to it. Amazing." Zach continued to look unperturbed, but this time his whole body felt like it was swirling into a vortex. He cleared his throat. "I don't suppose you would buy it if I said that Ethan was probably a long lost Montgomery or Kane?" Kendall looked at him like he was bug entrails. Bogey certainly didn't have these problems in Sabrina.
Kendall set the jar of caviar down on the counter. "You should have seen Ethan's face. Part of him wanted to be very happy that he was related to that little girl. But the other part him just wanted to know why. Why would you lie about being his father? He came up with many possible reasons, and none of them sounded good." Zach's throat clenched. "All those possible reasons boil down to one conclusion. I'm a son of a bitch. Why don't we just leave it at that, hmm? I faked my death all those years ago, but it was too late. The old man's poison got to me already. I'm just as bad as him. A cold-blooded bastard who obsessively controls everyone around him for his own maniacal purposes. End of story. Now Ethan has even more reason to run away from me as fast as he can. Good riddance to him." Zach ended his tirade abruptly, breathing deeply to avoid choking on his words.
Kendall stared at him cooly for a few moments. "I agree with everything you said, except the last part. Ethan isn't going to run. When I found out that Erica Kane was my mother and that she didn't want anything to do with me, I didn't run. I stayed and made her life a living hell. Amazingly enough, we eventually got past all that and are bonded as a mother and daughter should be. I don't expect the same outcome for you and Ethan. Just the living hell part. Unless you want to be the one to run away. By all means." Zach shook his head. "I'm not budging." Kendall laughed derisively. "Of course, I forgot. How could you possibly leave until you can take Maria with you. But that's only a matter of time. She and Edmund are divorcing." Zach narrowed his eyes at her. "If Greenlee divorced Ryan in a snit and he was still pining after her, would you want him back? Oh, I forgot, you have no pride."
Kendall looked away from him. "Does pride keep one warm at night? Sure, I did a lot of desperate things to try and lure Ryan back into my arms. Maybe you were more calculating in your efforts to get Maria, but they netted you the same exact result." Kendall paused and looked out the window over the sink. "Did you know that Ryan was married before? Her name was Gillian, and from what I have heard, he adored her. I never met her because she died before I came back to town. Sometimes I wish that she had come back from the dead and she was the reason that Ryan left me - I was no match for true love. Instead he chose Greenlee because…I guess she was less of a pain in the ass than I." She broke off suddenly, as if she realized she was rambling on about intimate details of her heart. Zach cursed inwardly. He didn't want to feel sympathy for Kendall, but he couldn't help but think that Ryan must be the most pompous ass that ever walked the earth. He and Greenlee deserved each other.
Zach drummed his nails against the kitchen counter. "How about I make us something to eat while we are still fortunate enough to have electricity?" Kendall bit her lip. He could tell she didn't relish the idea of fending for herself. "Fine. While you are doing that, I'll make up our beds. I do a mean hospital corner." He nodded his head. "Deal." She glanced his way, then went swiftly from the room. He surveyed the pantry. He had been known to make more than one woman swoon at his home-cooked meals. Somehow he thought it might take a little more than that to impress Kendall, but he had to start somewhere.