Nothing Left To Fear (Book 1 of 2)

Surprise Numero Dos

Chapter 38:

Brianna’s POV:

We arrive at our hotel about 20 minutes later and by that time, I’m ready to go to sleep. But unfortunately for me, Nathan and Becca keep pushing me to go out and “explore Michigan”. Despite my whining and complaining, they somehow convince me to leave the confines of the hotel and walk around Michigan.

I head to the room I’m sharing with Becca. When we open the door, we take in the simple blue and cream color scheme and our huge window that overlooks the city. I don’t know what part of Michigan we’re in but it has this really calm vibe. We drop our bags on the floor then run to our beds. Becca and I sigh in relief because these beds feel like a cloud. “Becca. Do we have to leave? These beds are so comfortable.” I ease my face into one of the pillows before sighing again. Becca grumbles something that sounds like ‘yes’ but I’m not completely sure.

A loud banging at the door causes me and Becca to groan and roll outta bed. I open the door to my newly dressed friends and my boyfriend. “What does everyone want?” I leave the door open and trudge back to my bed. I didn’t realize Becca’s in the shower until I relax again. “We’re going out to get a better look at Michigan and then we’re going to dinner. Dress warm and comfortable. Maybe some uggs to keep you warm.” Leave it to Jill to explain. Sometimes the guys can be so spineless. “Fine, but you’re picking my outfit since this is torture for me.”

We sit around and talk before Becca comes outta the bathroom fully dressed. She flops on to my bed right after she throws me a towel and tells me to get in the shower. What the hell is so great about Michigan? There seems to be nothing special here besides my dad and we’re going to look for him tomorrow.

Ugh, only my friends and boyfriend would want to “explore” when it’s cold outside. We better be doing something memorable.

Nathan’s POV:

Once we hear the shower turn on, we begin to plan. “Ok guys. You all know what we’re doing and why. Correct?” They nod. “Ok that’s good. Now all we have to do is keep Bri busy until dinner. No matter what happens, don’t give her the slightest hint as to what we’re doing. If she finds out, she’ll either love us or hate us. Understood?” They nod again before talking about anything so that Bri doesn’t get suspicious. However for me, I have someone to text, so I pull out my phone and find the contact I need…Joe.

Joe’s POV:

I’m lounging around the house thinking about how Bri’s gonna react. A hand on my shoulder calms me down. I turn to look into the same pale blue eyes as me. “Son, why are you so jittery? It’s just your sister.” He doesn’t know that she doesn’t know that he’ll be at dinner tonight. I thought that if she didn’t know then things would pan out better but it’s not.

I’m actually afraid that she’ll freak out, walk away, stop talking to me, or not give our dad a chance. He really is a good guy. He loves my mom and when she left, he went into a deep depression until his dad, me and Bri’s grandpa, told him that if mom came back he wouldn’t want to look like crap. So after that, he got himself back together and prayed for the day when the love of his life (his words definitely not mine) would come back.

Unfortunately, she never came back but he had faith that they would be together again. After 2 years without mom, dad started to model. I know what you’re thinking: Why didn’t he go after your mom? Did he start dating? Isn’t your dad too old to model? To answer your unasked questions 1) He wanted her to be happy and her leaving seemed to be the solution 2) Over the past 19 years, he’s gone on about 10 dates but none of them got passed the first date. And 3) my dad’s only 39 and takes care of himself. He wants to be at his best when he and mom get back together. By now, you’re probably wondering how my dad knows about Bri. It happened at her graduation when I was walking to the entrance.

*Flashback*

I was heading towards the entrance when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and came face to face with a stranger. “Uh, can I help you?” His face seemed to light up but I didn’t know why. “Oh! Um…yes you can. Are you Joseph Williams?” I know I’m attractive but I’m straight. “Yes. Who’s asking?” Without warning, he hugged me. I didn’t know what to do so I awkwardly patted his back before he held me at arms’ length.

“I always knew you’d end up with your mother’s skin tone.” Mom? What the hell? “How do you know my mom?” He tightened his grip when he saw that I was trying to leave. “Ouch, you don’t remember your own dad? That hurts son.” Dad? DAD?!? HOLY SHIT! It’s my dad. “DAD!” I didn’t hesitate to pull him back into a hug. God I missed my dad.

He was great when I was little. He would play army men and legos with me even if he had work to do. I could help the happy tears that ran down my face. After 18 years, I finally get to see my dad again.

“Ok son. Now answer my question honestly. Alright?” I recomposed myself before nodding. “Why are you going to a high school graduation? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Hot teacher?” Wow! I actually forgot how funny my dad is. But here comes the awkward part.

“Uh…well…the thing is…” This is so uncomfortable since he doesn’t know that he has a daughter. “Spit it out Joseph!” Full name means business. “Well…I’m here to see my sister graduate.” A look of pain and sadness etched their way onto his face. “That’s why she didn’t come back. She was pregnant with another man’s baby. I-I think I should leave.” For a biochemist, he can be so dumb.

Before he could walk away, I forcefully grabbed his arm. He looked shocked before letting sadness sink back in. “Come on dad. Think about it. We left 18 years ago. Bri, my sister, is 18 years old. Didn’t you notice mom’s symptoms? The morning sickness? The cravings? The mood swings? Ring a bell yet?” I waited a few seconds before a look of realization came across his face followed by a face-splitting smile. “I have a daughter?” I nodded. “And she’s graduating?” I nodded again. “Where’s your mom?” I quickly retold the events of the past few months. “Wow! So she just hasn’t come back?” “Yup.” I heard someone on the speakers telling us to get to our seats, so I guided my dad to the ticket booth and headed in.

We took our seats and waited for the ceremony to begin but he told me more about himself before it started. I learned that he likes dogs, always wanted a daughter, never moved on from mom, models every now and again, hates the color orange but loves blue, and a bunch of other stuff.

We stopped talking when we heard “Brianna Williams” followed by thunderous clapping and a few wolf whistles. The look on my dad’s face was priceless. His eyes looked brighter and watery. “That’s my daughter” was the only thing he could think to say and I could understand why.

We sat through the rest of the ceremony before the graduates threw their hats in the air. I got up to look for Bri but realized that my dad wasn’t following. I turned back to look for him but he was gone. A feeling of disappointment sank in but not for long because I spotted Bri. I ran and scooped her up and started talking about how proud I am and how great she did. For the next 15 minutes, Bri and I walked around saying bye to her closest friends, mostly Becca and Alex, before leaving.

Once outside the gate, we headed towards my car. There, under the windshield wiper laid an envelope with information that would help build my relationship with my dad.

*Flashback*

From that day on, I kept in contact with my dad. He turned out to be a great guy and an even better dad. He became like my best friend. And now is the time to introduce him to his daughter and her to her dad.