Kristel

 

It’s been five incredible months since the birth of Henry Bryce Zelnick. He was born healthy and strong at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. I made it through those last difficult months of pregnancy with the help and support of the Black Knights, and my mother has not contacted me since I last spoke to her on the phone a year ago. My heart still aches for my father from time to time, but I know now more than ever that Andre did the right thing. Had it not been for my husband, he might be dead and Henry would never have known his dad. My brain still tries to understand why Will did what he did, as I can’t imagine betraying someone so close to me, but that betrayal brought all the club members together in a way that strengthened us.

 

A smile touches my lips as I think back on the events that brought me to this moment. The little boy in the crib grips one of my fingers, and that smile grows wider. I never in a million years believed that I would ever be a mother, but now that I am, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“Hey there, little man.” I pull up a chair and lift him from the crib so I can sit with him in my arms. “You wanna know a secret? Your dad saved me. I was kidnapped and taken from my home against my will, and he came and got me. If it weren’t for him, you’d never know who he is. Can you imagine life without Andre?” As Henry plays with a button on my shirt, I tilt my head. “I can’t. Though I think he’s far too stubborn to leave for good. He’d always come back for you, just like I would. And you know what?” There is a brief pause as I think about what I want to say, then shrug my shoulders. “Never mind, I forgot what I was going to say. What matters, though, is that-”

 

My phone rings, and a small frown touches my mouth when I see the name on the screen: Mom.

 

“Are you serious?”

 

I answer the phone and hug Henry close, suddenly nervous. “Hello?”

 

“Kristel?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It’s Sherri. Your mom.” She sounds hesitant.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“I miss you, Kristel. And I’d love to come see the baby. Is it a boy or a girl? What about a name? I would love to even just see some pictures. Or a video.”

 

My throat shifts as I swallow hard, and I don’t know how to respond. Should I hang up? “Mom… do you even know why I don’t want to talk to you anymore? Why I never call you or contact you in any way?”

 

“Honey, I know-”

 

“No! You don’t know, mom.” As Henrystarts to cry, I gently kiss the top of his head and rock him to try and soothe him. “You haven’t supported my choices, ever, and all you’ve ever done is try to throw your weight around. Worse, youhelped dad kidnap me so that he could take us all to some city on the other side of the country. You didn’t care about what I wanted back then, and you sure as hell don’t care about what I want now. So why do you think I want to listen to a word you have to say?”

 

There is a very long pause, and I hear my mother crying. A pang goes off in my chest, but I’m too angry to care. “Kristel. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted what was best for you. When your father told me about Andre, I got so scared, and all I wanted to do was get you out of there so you and the baby would be safe. I didn’t think he would ever go to those extremes. When it happened, I just… froze. I didn’t know what to do and the thought of you being with him… of the baby being with him… I just couldn’t handle it, Kristel. And I’m not sorry for wanting to protect you, but I am sorry for hurting you.”

 

I draw in a slow breath and clench my eyes shut. “What you did… what youhelped to do… got Dad killed.”

 

“I know.” She starts to cry harder. “God, Kristel, I’m so sorry. Please, you have to believe me that I am.”

 

Henry is barely keeping it together in my arms, and I start to walk slowly back and forth across the room. He’s mirroring my emotions, which in turn makes me feel even more anxious. I should hang up the phone and block her number.

 

“I don’t, Mom. You know I never will. You aren’t my family anymore, the Black Knights are. Andre is. Henry is. So the best thing you can do for yourself and for us is to not call here again, because I’m blocking this number.”

 

“No! Kristel, don’t hang up! You need to know why I called you!”

 

My mouth purses into a thin line, and I roll my eyes toward the ceiling even though I know she can’t see me. “Goodbye, Mom.” With a low huff, I end the call and block her number. My body shakes gently with stress, and I try to calm myself down by cuddling Henry to my chest and walking slowly around the room. In time, the baby goes quiet, and I can tell by his breathing that he’s fallen asleep.

 

“What’s going on in here?” Andre pokes his head into the room, and his eyebrows are drawn together in concern.

 

“Nothing.” As soon as I speak, I know the lie isn’t nearly good enough to fool him.

 

“Kristel. Be straight with me.”

 

As he steps into the room and slides his arms around me from behind, I lean against him with a sigh. “Shh, you’ll wake him.” After a short pause, I tilt my head to the side to look at him. “Mom called.”

 

He kisses the top of my head and watches Henry over my shoulder. “Your mom? What the hell did she want?”

 

“I don’t know. To say she was sorry? That’s pretty much all she went on about.”

 

“Well she can shove that ‘sorry’ up her...” He eyes Henry. “Butt.”

 

“Shhh.” I chuckle sadly, softly, and kiss Henry’s forehead. “I agree, but don’t wake him up. I blocked her number, so now she can’t call me again.”

 

“Why would she call you after all this time?”

 

As if on cue, my phone rings again. I almost don’t answer it, but Andre reaches around and puts the phone to his ear. “What?”

 

I can hear my mother on the other end of the line. “Who is this? Where’s Kristel?”

 

“This is Andre Zelnick, Kristel’s husband.” When my mother doesn’t answer, he says, “What do you want with Kristel?”

 

“I just want her to come home. Please, bring her back to me.”

 

“No. Go fuck yourself.”

 

“Andre!” I turn around and look at him with my eyes narrowed. “Language!”

 

“Ffff… Sorry.” He winces and speaks softer into the phone. “Listen to me. Kristel is home. And she’s not coming back to you. It’s your fault you weren’t willing to give her the choices she deserved. She told me a lot about you and Mr. Bryce, and about how you both treated her like a child. Kristel is a grown woman, and she can decide for herself what she wants to do. And if she doesn’t want anything to do with you, then you need to respect that.”

 

My eyes glimmer with unshed tears that I quickly wipe away before Andre can see them. I know I can hold my own, and I have, but to hear him defend me like that warms my heart. I step away from him and walk into the hallway and into the kitchen so I can’t hear the rest of the conversation.

 

“You see, little guy?” I whisper, looking down at the baby. “That’s why I love your dad so much. He understands what’s important, just like I do.

 

“What do you even say to a baby? He can’t understand you.”

 

I glance over at Andre as he walks into the room and offer him an amused smile. “I think he does. Some books I read said that at this age he can respond to the tone of my voice. And yours.” After a moment, I offer him to Andre. He hasn’t spent a lot of time with Henry because he’s been so busy building the Black Knights back up and getting everything in order again. He had let go of some of the members, but he hadn’t brought any new ones in yet. That would take some time, as everyone was reluctant to trust after what had happened with Will.

 

Andre offers me an almost awkward smile as he takes our child from me and holds him to his chest. His big, powerful arms almost make the baby disappear, and I feel my whole face soften. It’s such a perfect picture to me, seeing him hold our son that way.

 

“I don’t really read, but if you say so.”

 

“You know I do.” I give him a wink. “I need you to change him while I go to the store. We’re nearly out of diapers and food.”

 

“Kristel, you know I don’t change diapers.”

 

“Then you can deal with his smell until I get back.” Fighting my smile, I put my purse over my shoulder and grab my keys.

 

“I’ll come with you. We can all go together.”

 

“No, I think it’s better if you stay here. You’ve barely spent any time with Henry since he was born, and today I don’t think you’re busy.” I kiss his cheek and hug him around the waist. “It’ll be good for you guys. You’re not scared of him, are you?”

 

His lips purse and his jaw tightens. He let out a low huff. “Fine. When are you coming back?”

 

Internally, I giggle. I’ve never seen Andre this unsure of himself before, so I can’t help but drag it out as much as I can. “Later.” Without offering him another word or glance, I step out the door and head to the grocery store.