Chapter 29
Zach stood at the doorway to the Chandler mansion. He couldn't believe he was here. He was about to go play games with a spoiled little boy to protect a woman who needed a keeper 24/7 to keep her out of trouble. He rang the doorbell. The jetlag was starting to get to him. He didn't sleep well on the airplane. The door opened and a middle-aged woman in a uniform asked how she could help him. "I'm here to see Kendall." She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I see. Come in and have a seat and I will find out if she is available. Your name?" Zach followed her to the living room. "Zach Slater." He made to sit down and she smiled and nodded as she left the room through a door at the far end. Zach abandoned his pretense of sitting and followed her discreetly. She knocked on a door, and then poked her head through. From the crack in the door, it looked like an office. "I apologize for disturbing you, but there is a Zach Slater here to see you." Zach heard JR exclaim. "What the hell is he doing here?" Then he heard Kendall's voice, sounding breathless, "Let him in!" The woman backed out of the doorway and almost collided with Zach, who was standing behind her. "Um..er..you may go in now, sir."
Zach went through the door. Showtime. He pasted a big grin on his face. "Sweetheart!" He walked towards Kendall and dipped her into a kiss. When he set her upright, she gave him a look like he had just bitten off her nose. JR gave him a look like he had just bitten off his wife's nose. "I sincerely hope there is some other reason why you are here." Zach put his arm around Kendall. "Not really. I wanted to let Kendall know in person that I made it into town okay. I know that it's usually considered in poor taste for the other man to kiss his lover in front of her husband, but since your marriage is in name only, I figured it didn't matter."
Kendall's eyes widened. "Zach, there's something you should know." JR held up his hand, a smug look on his face. "Let me do it, Kendall. You'll just try to break it to him gently, and that's really not going to work in this case. You see, Zach, Kendall and I don't have a marriage in name only." JR emphasized the last three words, drawing them out. "Therefore your role as the 'other man' is obsolete. Now if you don't mind, I'm in the middle of a custody hearing, and Kendall and I are going over some things for tomorrow. You can see yourself out." Kendall rolled her eyes. "Zach, he's trying to jerk your chain, don't listen to him." Zach ignored the knots that were forming in his stomach. He kept his face impassive. He asked casually, "So he's lying about the marriage having been consummated?" Kendall shook her head. "No, he…I…ugh! JR, please leave. I need to talk to Zach alone." JR put up his hands, palm out. "Whoa, Kendall. We have work to do here. Today's part of the hearing didn't go well. We need to get a lock on your testimony." Kendall folded her arms. "How about this. You leave us alone for ten minutes, and I won't have to testify against you in the hearing." JR dropped his hands and walked towards the door. "You fight dirty, Kendall. It's one of the things I love about you." He gave Kendall a swift kiss, and she shoved him towards the door.
When JR was gone, Kendall turned to Zach. "Look, let me explain what's going on here." Zach reached out and caressed her shoulders. "Kendall, you don't owe me anything. There was something going on between us that I can't define. It was beautiful while it lasted, but if you want to be with JR….there was never any commitment between us. I came here today because I had the idea of protecting you from him. Well, it was Etienne's idea. I figured if I was here as a catalyst, JR wouldn't be able to bully or manipulate you." Kendall put her hands on either side of his face. "You are unbelievable." She slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Then she whispered in his ear. "I didn't marry JR."
Zach felt like every part of his body turned to liquid. He pulled back and stared at her. "You didn't? But I thought for sure…" She sighed. "So did I. I was determined that little Adam would always have a home with his daddy. I was right there in front of that judge with JR next to me and Erica and Adam behind us. But I couldn't go through with it." Zach shook his head. "So when JR said that you two didn't have a marriage in name only…" She nodded. "We don't have a marriage, period. The only reason I'm here at the mansion is because we were talking about the custody hearing. JR was furious that I didn't marry him, but I promised to give testimony on his behalf."
Zach found himself smiling, like a weight had been lifted. "When JR implied that you two had slept together….I got a little queasy there." Kendall crossed her arms. "I wanted to make him queasy by punching him in the stomach. Zach…I'm more than a little in awe of the fact that you came back to Pine Valley to support me. That's just incredible. I suppose I should give you a speech about how I can take care of myself or how I can handle JR just fine. Both of which is true. But that is beside the point. You cared enough to help me even though you probably thought I was nuts." Zach pulled her into a long, lingering kiss. When Kendall had melted into his arms, he whispered, "Do you know where I can find a nutcracker costume, because I just had a great idea." She laughed, her eyes sparkling.