Page 7 of The Other Princess

“You betcha!” My dad told me as he chuckled from up front. “Now, maybe you realize why I wanted you to change back at the house. We have a full house right now, not just our boys.”

“Well, hell.”

Chapter 2

~ Ever ~

Hey, hey, look who graced us with her royal presence today! It’s the other princess!” Trunk called out as we entered the clubhouse. I smirked at his announcement, because he was one of the guys who honestly meant it in good fun. I also found him entertaining in an odd way, because he was the first big lesson I got in how MC road names worked. I had asked my dad why everyone called him Trunk, back when I was still a little girl, and dad had paled before quickly collecting himself and informing me that it was because Billy had a lot of junk in his trunk.

Now, I was not a dumb kid, and I knew that expression meant the person had a big ass, and Trunk did not. Years later, after a couple of conversations I was not supposed to overhear, I learned that Billy boy was packing a lot of junk, it just wasn’t in the rear. Nope, he apparently had an appendage big enough to be nicknamed “that elephant trunk between his legs” by numerous women, and the guys in the club thought it was hilarious so it stuck. I laughed as I remembered being completely distraught at realizing every time I called him Trunk I was referencing his dick in a way.

“What’s so funny, darlin’?” Trunk asked, curiously.

“Nothing, Trunk. Just remembered something. How have you been?”

“Great, and you’d know that already if you ever came ‘round to see me.”

I mock pouted by sticking my plump lower lip out further. “I know that. I’ve just been busy working, then with the apprenticeship, school, and my general shitty attitude it all tends to keep me away.”

He grinned, and then gave me a knowing smile. “Let’s not forget the major game of avoidance you like to play with a certain someone. You ever going to actually forgive him?”

I just offered up a shrug of my shoulders, because what could I say? I wasn’t sure there was enough forgiveness in my heart for all the shit Jay had cost me. When I didn’t offer a verbal response to that one Trunk tipped his head toward the back door of the clubhouse. “Pretty much everyone’s out back already. You should head on out.”

That was when I realized Trunk was stuck on guard duty. “Why are you on the door, anyway?”

“Fucking new prospect was a no-show. He apparently had ‘real life’ obligations and couldn’t be here today. He thinks he’s coming back in tomorrow like nothing happened.”

“Oh damn, that’s going to suck for him tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what the prospecting period is for to see if your priorities are in line with the club’s interests or not. I’ll pull one of the others off a shit duty once my old lady gets here.”

“How is Theresa?”

“She’s doing good, just started her second trimester last week, and thankful for it, because the puke fest seems to be behind us now. I don’t know how women make it through one pregnancy and choose to do it again, but I ain’t complaining. This time, I’m hoping for a boy.”

“Well, good luck with that. I’ll be sure to say hi if I’m still around when she gets here.”

“Not planning on staying long?”

“Long enough to say hello to the man of the hour since he requested my presence. Other than that I’m out.”

“Man of the hour?” Trunk asked, and I started to feel slightly uncomfortable about being here suddenly.

“I saw Declan the other day. This is like his coming home thing, right?”

Something flashed in Trunk’s eyes, and then a wide smile split his face. “Sure. Sorry, kid, you took me off guard a bit, because I thought that whole family was off limits to you since J-Bird’s big screw up.” His mood darkened his face just as quickly as it brightened. “Tiger-Lily says you don’t even speak to her anymore.”

“I don’t blame her, Trunk. She’s just always around all of them…” I stated while throwing my hand in the air.

“All my brothers, you mean?” There was no judgment in his tone at that. Trunk had gone away to prison for an assault charge after nearly killing a man in a bar fight. The man had touched his woman, so it was justified in his eyes, but the ATF Agent who had witnessed the altercation testified otherwise. That was the time period when my life went to shit, and Trunk had come out of the big house in time to see that I no longer went to school, came to the club, or spoke to any of his brothers. His woman, Tessa filled him in on the whys and hows of it all.

He shook his head. “I wish I had been here to knock some sense into these thick skulls for you darlin’. Still can’t believe they all behaved that way.”

“You joke about me being ‘the other princess,’ Trunk. The others never have. It’s real to them, and it isn’t a nice name. I’ve always just been the daughter of a conniving whore, and they were waiting for me to turn out the same. Jay gave them all the excuse they needed.”

He got ready to deny my words, but something stopped him as he glanced up behind my shoulder. A chill ran through my body as I stood there waiting to see who had entered the clubhouse behind us.

“That how you really feel about the brothers here?” Merc asked. Merc was the club president and the father to Jay and Declan.

---