Lacey

21 "-No sex on the couch."

"So are we going to talk about it?" Zack and I were cuddled up on the couch in the living room watching a superhero movie, my head on his chest while everyone else was up stairs in bed while our friends had left almost an hour ago. 

"Talk about what exactly?"

"We've been trying to set up a date for a while now and with everything going on we haven't had time."

"Zack we spoke about this at the diner the other night. What are you really trying to ask?"

"I don't... I don't." He made a sound at the back of his throat and started shifting around like he couldn't get comfortable when he finally shifted so he was facing me and rubbed his hands together. "Lacey I really don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything by bringing this up but how are you doing with the whole Liam Jones situation?"

"Everyone seems to want to talk about that with me lately." I started tracing random patterns on the fluffy throw blanket over my lap. 

"I hate to break it to you Lacey but that is going to be a big topic no matter what, and I don't think people really care about Liam himself I think they  want to know how you are doing."

"Yeah I guess."

"Not to mention it has been a secret for a little longer than eighteen years, they probably want to put it all out on the table. There is a lot that has been covered up. I do have something you need to hear though."

"Oh gosh what did my family say now?" Zack laughed and shook his head at me.

"When we went up to see Jen's gaming set up, which by the looks amazing I want it, anyways she was telling us about how you stood up to Liam's lawyer. She kept saying how proud everyone was of you."

"What else did she tell you?" I pulled my hair out of the messy bun and started tugging on it and putting it in a french braid trying to calm myself down. 

"Nothing, she started telling us more but we stopped her. We all agreed on the way down here that what we found out we were going to hear from you."

"Between you and I, it is worse than we think."

"What do you mean?" Zack's eyebrows pulled together as he tilted his head to the side a little and ran his hand through his hair.

"It's worse than we thought, the lawyer accidentally let it slip that he has been doing it a lot longer than we thought. Not to mention the worst of the information wasn't released to the public, I am pretty sure Chad knows the extent of it all."

"Wow, what do you know?"

"I know what has been on the news, Chad hasn't told me anything outside of it. The drug ring and gang, money laundering, multiple robberies."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in." We paused the movie and I backed away from Zack a little so we could see each others faces as we spoke but Zack now had my hand held tight in his with his thumb drawing lazy shapes in my palm while my other hand still tugged the end of my now high ponytail. "That must be scary for everyone involved, who knows what he has done in all that time."

"That's the scariest part, I don't know what he is capable of doing or everything he has ever done. I am related to that."

"Lacey, I think right now you are underestimating yourself. He might be your biological father but as far as I am concerned that's where it stops. Greg helped raise you, he is the man you resemble. He taught you how to treat others, him and your mom shaped you into the person you are today. They helped shape your core values and beliefs, I might have only known you for a month and a bit but Lacey you are the most amazing person I have ever met."