Reclaiming her ( Forgotten Sons book 1)

10 years ago Lacey " Sh*t! no, no, NO!" I mutter under my breath as I pace up and down my bathroom. Two pink lines stare back at me as if they are taunting me for breaking my parents' rules. My best friend Tara stands next to me, a hand on my shoulder trying to comfort me. " It will be okay, Lacey, I'm sure your parents will understand.... eventually." Tara's words do little to comfort me. I am the only daughter of two conservative parents who always expect me to act like the perfect young lady. They have always given me strict rules to live by and emphasised that image is everything. " Oh God, how am I going to tell them? They are going to k*ll me!" I say as I hear the front door open downstairs. " Sh*t. They are home. What should I do?" Look at my best friend who now looks as panicked as me. " Just talk to them. It will be fine. I've got to go. Let me know what they say. Watching my friend leave, I take a deep breath and try to summon all my courage. I'm sure they will understand. They love me, and if church has taught me anything, it is to be honest and that they will forgive, so I need to do just that. Leaving my bedroom, I slowly make my way downstairs, hoping my parents are in good moods after work. My dad works for the town mayor, so he believes appearance is very important. My mother spends her days socialising under the guise of 'volunteering' with her other housewife friends. Both my parents are very conservative in values and always expect me to be the picture-perfect daughter. For the past eighteen years, I have been exactly what they wanted. A straight A student, member of the church youth choir, and classically trained pianist. My mother has always dressed me up in modest clothing, not wanting anyone to think I am anything other than 'pure'. If only they knew. For as long as I can remember, Nate has been a 'bad boy'. His father, Brian Jones, is the president of the Forgotten sons M.C. and someone you avoid unless you want trouble. So naturally, I developed a crush on the son of the most feared man in town. Only my friend, Tara, knew how I felt, until a year ago when we went to a party and I stupidly answered a question honestly in a game of 'truth or dare'. That night, Nate also confessed that he liked me even though we both knew my parents could never find out. I began sneaking out at night and meeting up with Nate at the park near my house. We would spend hours just talking and watching the stars, both of us finding refuge from our stressful homes. Eventually, we began to do more than just watch stars, which brings us to now. Entering the kitchen, I see my mother plating up dinner as my father sits in the lounge with a whisky in one hand and his phone in the other. " Lacey, come and set the table while I finish serving up." My mother says as she finished putting the steamed fish and vegetables on the plates. " Yes, Mother." I answer as I pull open the drawer where the silverware lives. Once the table is set and dinner is served, I take my seat opposite my mother as my father sits at the head of the table. " How was your day, Mary?" My father asks my mother as if she actually does anything constructive. " That's kind of you to ask, Charles, thank you. You wouldn't believe what I heard at the church committee meeting today!" My mother answers enthusiastically before rambling out some gossip about who's husband is sleeping with who and who didn't donate to the upcoming fund-raiser. I tune most of the conversation out until I hear my name being called. " Lacey, Lacey? Are you listening?" My father asks, frustrated by my lack of response. " Sorry, Father. I just had something in my mind. My apologies." I say, hoping he won't scold me for daydreaming during dinner. " Well, what is so important that you can't listen to a conversation at dinner?" My mother chimes in, making my nerves come back in full force. " Actually, there is something I need to tell you, both of you." I say nervously, praying that they will still love me. " I hope you can both find it in your hearts to forgive me. I haven't been the been the good daughter that you think I am. I've been sneaking out of the house at night to meet with someone.." My mother's shocked gasp stops me from continuing for a moment. " Young lady! You know better than to sneak out of the house at night! What if you got hurt or something happened to you?" My father asks sternly. " Actually, father, something has happened. I'm.....I'm...pregnant." I manage to stutter out as I burst into tears. The rest of dinner was a blur with my mother and father screaming at me and at each other. My mother kept trying to work out where they went wrong with me. My father was furious and in denial saying I must have been 'forced' or 'corrupted' by someone and kept trying to get me to name the boy who 'did this to his baby'. Eventually, when they got tired of yelling, I was sent to my room while they tried to come up with a way to 'fix' what I had done. The next morning, my parents told me their great 'solution' to my problem, and with that, I was packed up and sent off to live with my aunt eight hours away. Their logic being that she was a childless, single woman who could help raise the baby as her own. Moving in with Aunt Jackie was the best thing my parents could have done for me. It turns out she is a very open-minded lesbian who has never come out to my parents, knowing that they would disapprove. Aunt Jackie helped me prepare for the baby and came to every appointment, and scan and even supported me during labour. My daughter, Cassidy, was born with the most beautiful green eyes and jet-black hair, just like her father. I wished every night of my pregnancy that he was with me and there to see our daughter come into the world, but knowing my parents, if they knew he was Cassidy's father, they would do everything to make his life a living hell.