Wicked princess

Chapter 9

“Are you sure you don’t want any hel—”

I close the bathroom door before Sawyer can finish her sentence. It’s not that I’m not grateful for her offer to help, I just want to be able to go to the bathroom in peace for once. And thanks to starting physical therapy, I’ve been upgraded to crutches which means I finally can. 

If all goes well, hopefully I’ll be discharged soon. 

I’m hobbling over to the toilet when I catch my reflection in the mirror and freeze. 

Holy shit. 

Even though my brain has finally accepted the fact that I’m eighteen and not eight, I haven’t given much thought to what I might look like. 

“Woah.” 

Steadying one crutch against the sink, I touch the glass, just to make sure I’m not hallucinating.  

Long dark hair, tan skin, big brown eyes, high cheekbones, a slightly upturned nose, and full lips. 

The last recollection I have of my appearance, I was the epitome of awkward looking…but now? 

Now, I look just like her. 

Turning my head ever so slightly, I peer at the scar ru

I vaguely recall the doctor telling me I went through the windshield during the accident and a shard of glass got lodged in my neck, missing my carotid artery by less than a centimeter. 

Sucking in a breath, I lift up my shirt, inspecting the scar on my lower abdomen. The one that cost me a kidney thanks to a piece of shrapnel during the accident with my mom. Not only does it appear smaller than I remember, it’s faded quite a bit. 

But it’s still a glaring reminder of the day my mother tried to kill me. 

Shoving that thought down and turning my focus to something positive, I raise my shirt higher, checking out the merchandise. 

My boobs aren’t ginormous or anything, but I’m definitely not disappointed with what mother nature gave me.

I want to examine the rest of my body, but my bladder starts protesting my little peep show so I take care of business before I shuffle back to my hospital room. 

I walk in on my dad, brothers, Sawyer, and my doctor having what looks to be a pretty heated discussion. 

Oh, boy. 

“You’re never home,” Jace barks at our dad. “There’s no way you can take care of her.”

As much as I hate hearing them argue, Jace has a point. Amnesia or not, there is one thing I definitively remember most about my father. 

His absence. 

That said, he’s really been stepping up his game lately and has been visiting me a lot. 

Dad juts his chin. “I can take some time off work.” 

Crossing his arms, Jace stares him down. “No. She’s staying with me and Dylan at our apartment. This way we can watch over her.” 

I’m tempted to remind him that I’m not a child, but I know Jace’s heart is in the right place and he’s only looking out for me. 

Dad’s visibly irate now. “Last I checked, I was the father here, Jace.” 

Jace snorts. “Only when it’s convenient—”

“Stop!” I shout, because I honestly can’t stand another second of this. 

Everyone turns to look my way.  

“Hello, Bianca,” Dr. Jones greets me and there’s no mistaking the pity in his eyes. “We were just discussing plans for your upcoming discharge.” 

Normally I’d be happy about the news, but not when it’s causing my family to fight like this. 

I glare at Dad and Jace. “Can we do it without fighting?”

Sawyer gives me a sympathetic smile. “Bianca’s right. Fighting isn’t what she needs right now, and it’s not going to make anything better. In fact, why don’t we ask her what she wants and where she’d like to stay.”

“Can I stay with you?” I joke, although part of me is being serious. 

I know Jace loves Dylan, but something about her rubs me the wrong way and I’m not sure why. Needless to say, the prospect of living with her isn’t exactly something I’m looking forward to.

Sawyer looks at Cole. “I mean, we do have a pull-out couch in our apartment.” 

Cole’s brows lift. “Yeah.” His eyes meet mine. “You can stay with us if you want—”

“She’s staying with me and Dylan,” Jace cuts in. “Our apartment has an extra bedroom.” 

“A bedroom she has absolutely no recollection of ever being in.” Dad turns to Dr. Jones. “You said earlier that being in her typical surroundings might help with her amnesia, correct?” 

Dr. Jones nods. “Yes, although it doesn’t necessarily guarantee she’ll get her memory back.” 

“But being in her own home gives her the best chance of that happening, right?” 

Another nod. “It certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.”  

Dad looks at Jace. “Then it’s settled. Bianca’s coming home.” 

Jace grinds his teeth so hard I’m surprised they don’t turn into dust. “You sure that’s going to be okay with Nadia?”

He spits her name out like it’s rancid food. 

“Nadia?” I repeat, looking between them. “Who’s Nadia?” 

“Dad’s fiancée,” Cole mutters, his nose turning up in disgust. 

Oh. 

“I didn’t…I had no idea.”

I’m honestly not sure what to say or how I should feel about this.  

I mean, I want my dad to be happy and it’s been ten years since Mom died, so it’s not like I would have expected him to put his love life on hold or anything. 

But part of me—a huge part—can’t help but feel a pang of overwhelming sadness. 

She should be here. 

Correction—they should be here. 

“We got engaged a couple of months ago,” Dad explains. “And Nadia isn’t living at the house yet. Although I would like her to move in soon so she can help me take care—”

“Over my dead fucking body, old man,” Jace growls. “No way in hell am I letting your mistress play pretend mom to my baby sister. Besides, you know as well as I do that shit would never fly if Bianca was in her right state of mind.” 

I can’t help but flinch at his words. 

Guilt colors Jace’s expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just…even though you can’t remember things, Cole and I do. Trust me, letting Nadia play stepmom isn’t something you’d want.” He blows out a heavy breath. “I’m just trying to look out for you.” 

I know he is. 

“He’s right,” Cole adds, backing him up. “You don’t trust a lot of people, Bianca.” He looks at Dad. “Hell, the only thing any of us know about Nadia is that she’s the whore you used to sneak out of the house after your little booty call was over.”  

Well, damn. That was…harsh. 

“Colton,” Sawyer hisses. “Stop being an asshole.” 

“Nadia was never my booty call, and she’s certainly not a whore,” Dad seethes. “And the only reason you three don’t know anything about my fiancée is because you all refuse to be around her.” 

As much as it pains me to agree, he has a point. It doesn’t really sound like we’ve made any move to get to know this woman Dad’s marrying at all. 

Although truth be told, if my choices are living with Jace and Dylan versus Dad and this Nadia woman, I have to go with my gut. 

I look at my father. “I wouldn’t be opposed to meeting Nadia one day.” My stare snags on Jace. “But as long as the offer still stands, I’d prefer to live with you and Dylan.” 

Living with Jace is way more comfortable than living with a woman I can’t recall ever meeting and my dad who I don’t know much about either.