Loyalty

Chapter 41: Nathan.

Brian's POV

The guys and I had some live shows down in Florida. Jess was originally supposed to come with us for this part of the tour so she could visit her dad along the way. Unfortunately, she couldn't get these extra days off work, especially since she had recently taken so many days off to travel to Hawaii with me. I know that Jess feels guilty about not seeing her dad enough, especially since he's single and lives alone. It was a relief to have her sister Melissa down in Florida to keep an eye on him, but Jess still felt a responsibility to check up on her father.

To make Jess feel better, I decided to take some time out of my touring schedule to visit her dad on my own. I hoped that it would put her mind at ease. It's been years since I first met him, but her dad was still an intimidating guy to me for some reason. I don't know if that would ever fully go away. I always found myself trying to impress him like I was never good enough for his daughter. It was never anything specific that he did. It's not like he was ever mean to me or anything. It was just my own insecurities.

I was even more nervous about going to see him by myself because I wouldn't have Jess to lean on if things got awkward or uncomfortable. Then again, things are always better when Jess is there, by my side. But maybe this time it was okay to be alone with her dad. This way we could get to know each other better and we could talk man to man.

-----

After coming back from visiting her dad, I FaceTimed Jess.

"So how was your day today? Did you go to Universal with the boys?" Jess asked.

Since the guys and I had some free time between shows, we were originally planning to go to Universal together. I loved theme parks and I especially enjoyed going to Universal. But it was more important for me to go see Jessica's dad. So, the guys went to the parks without me, while I went to see her dad.

"Nope. I actually spent some time with your dad today. We played some cards and chatted for a while," I told her.

"You went to see me dad instead of going to a theme park?" Jess asked. I could tell that simple things like this meant a lot to her.

"I thought it was more important to hang out with your dad for a little while."

"Babe... I love you. That's so sweet. I want to hug you right now. You didn't have to do that. I know you don't get many days off."

"I know I didn't HAVE to, but I wanted to. I know you feel guilty about not seeing him and I was hoping it would make you feel better."

"It does make me feel a lot better. I really appreciate you spending your free time with him. So, how's he doing?" she asked.

"Your dad looks great. He looks very healthy. He says he exercises regularly. And he's as sharp as ever," I assured her.

"That's great to hear. Are you becoming more comfortable around him?" she asked. Jess was aware of my slight anxiety about being around her dad.

"I'm definitely more comfortable. We had a great talk," I assured her.

"So what did you guys talk about?" she asked.

"Mostly just shared stories with each other. He told me some cop stories, I told him some fireman stories."

"I'm so glad the NYPD and FDNY can get along," she joked.

In New York, there had always been this playful rivalry between cops and fireman. But it was harmless because both groups respected each other. Telling these stories helped me bond with her dad. I was starting to realize that he wasn't as intimidating as I made him out to be. Her dad was funny and sarcastic but I also found out how kind he can be. He's like Jess in a lot of ways and I can see where she gets a lot of her attributes from. I was nice to spend some quality one-on-one time, so I could really get to know him.