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.

I shrugged without turning around. “That’s how they feel about me.” When I turned I noticed Merc wasn’t alone. Damn, the entire family was silent as the grave. Tiger Lily stood behind her old man with sadness filling her eyes. Jay’s were downcast to avoid looking at me, and Declan looked ready to spit fire with his flared nostrils and clenched fists.

“You should go ahead on back home since your opinion of the brothers is so damn low still, even after everyone made amends to you.”

I stood my ground, toe-to-toe with the man. He didn’t need to know I was shaking on the inside. “I just came to welcome Deck home, and planned to leave anyway. But just so we’re clear, Merc, my opinion hasn’t even factored in yet. What I spoke was the damn truth and you and everyone else here knows it. The men of this club have always treated me differently. Look out there,” I pointed to the large windows on the back half of the clubhouse wall where you could see straight out into the courtyard. My little sister was already out there, and the guys were all smiles around her and tossing out hugs as she breezed past. “My little sister gets smiles and hugs as she passes through. I’ve always gotten the cold shoulder, and that shit started long before your son’s bullshit ruined the rest of my life. You want me to leave because you think my opinion should have changed about everyone, but none of you have bothered to make things any different either. Even after your amends ceremony, the few times I have been around I’ve still been treated like a pariah, no matter if I come in with a smile full of sunshine or wearing my heartache on my sleeve. It’s all the same to the men here. I’ve always been “the other” in everyone’s eyes. I was okay with that at first, because at least I had my blood family in my corner, but that got shot to shit too, so now, I don’t bother even worrying over it anymore. Like I said, I’m here to welcome Deck home, then I’m gone, and everyone here can carry on as usual like I don’t actually exist.”

As I had been speaking our audience grew. My family had wandered back in along with several of the other guys that were guilty of treating me like shit. My little sister looked ashen, clearly having heard how she’s treated so differently than I am. It was something I had sort of sheltered her from knowing, because I didn’t want her great experience tainted by my own shitty one.

“You made them make amends to me for going the extra mile towards ignoring me, hating on me, and downright being disrespectful at times to me. You made them make amends for failing to protect a daughter of the club, but you missed the part where you had to make them do it, because it’s what my father wanted to happen.” I flung my hand out again, indicating the brothers – some who wore faces full of shame right now. “None of them have ever understood what it feels like to be called “the other kid,” “Double-Ds extra kid,” or “the other princess,” as if I’m somehow less than Toby or Annalise because I had a different mom for the first eight years of my life. I’ve had Momma-Luce longer, but that doesn’t matter. You all decided I was some tainted, not good enough version when I got here and their opinions of me never changed.

“I’ve been a good kid. I always did what I was told. I never spoke out. I got good grades. I always tried to go out of my way to be nice to everyone even when they didn’t deserve it, and what did it get me? Nothing. It got me easily dismissed and disbelieved by everyone including most of my own family. All of your brothers got to say words to me during your little ceremony. Not one, besides Jay, tried to expand on what was absolutely required of them. Not one. It was a formality to placate you. It was done to make them feel better about being called out for being assholes to a member’s kid. None of your ceremony was for me. I didn’t get to say words, remember? You and my dad made that perfectly clear before it went down. I wasn’t allowed to speak, except at the end to accept your fucking bullshit amends. So, no I didn’t take any of that to heart, and it certainly didn’t help to make my opinions of any of you turn from dark clouds to fluffy rainbows. My opinions and the truths I live are one and the same, and I dare any of you to tell me different.” I turned to glance at the woman who had become my mother when I lost my own. “I can’t do this anymore.”

She knew what that meant. I’d been saving since I was 16 and got my first job since online school didn’t take up near as much time as the normal stuff. I had already been looking for my own place. I had been attempting to hold out until my apprenticeship was officially done in three more weeks so I could earn more by tattooing, but I was officially done with my MC family. I took out my phone, ordered an Uber to come and get me, and put my phone back away in my pocket. When I glanced back up no one had moved. They all sort of looked shell shocked, except the women. All of them had tears in their eyes. I couldn’t see that. It would break me, and I refused to break again in front of these men who had done nothing to try to help put me back to together the two times in my life I really needed them to.

Instead, I turned to Deck who was standing beside an equally angered Trunk. Neither of them was angry with me. They were both staring at Merc like he had just killed a kid in front of them. “Sorry to bring down the party. I told you I didn’t come to these things anymore. I had real enough reasons for that. I am truly glad you’re back, Deck, and I wish you nothing but happiness, success, love, and light from here on out.” I patted his shoulder and moved to walk out before his hand reached out and grabbed hold of my elbow.

“Don’t go. You don’t have to go, Ever,” his words were a quiet plea. “I thought I’d come home and fix what my brother broke, but I didn’t realize it was already so deep before he…” Deck shook his head back and forth.

“Deck, have a good time at the party. I never planned to stay longer than to welcome you home anyway. This place isn’t for me. The people aren’t either. They never have been, and they’ve never attempted to hide that from me either. I’m just finally old enough to do something about it now.” I reached out and hugged him, patted Trunk on the arm, and left through the front doors of the clubhouse for what I fully intended to be the last time in my life.