Putting the past in the past?
On tonight’s all-new Total Bellas, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella decided it was time to reconnect with their estranged father as they were finishing up chapters for their memoir, Incomparable. Although Brie had already begun to rebuild her relationship with dad Jon Garcia, Nikki was nervous about the reunion, especially since she knew mom Kathy Colace wouldn’t be happy about it.
“My sister and I have been through a lot of s–t. What’s hard about that is, sometimes, you have to share those stories, even if you’ve forgiven people,” Nikki shared in a confessional. “But, the last time I saw my dad it was five years ago. We’ve been in and out of each other’s lives. And it’s just been a rocky relationship.”
Regardless, Nikki hoped that a reconnection with her dad would allow her to reconnect with her Mexican roots. Yet, she knew this hope wouldn’t sit well with Kathy and brother JJ Garcia, as they were still angry about the past.
“He had an addiction. And seeing how my parents’ marriage was for 15 years, I thought love was a certain way. It was fighting and arguing and jealousy—and that is not the case,” Nikki added later on. “And then, I never trusted men because of that. And it gave me, honestly, commitment issues.”
As Kathy read over the chapter detailing Brie and Nikki’s childhood, she became emotional, blaming herself for putting them through that drama. Although Kathy encouraged the twins to “start a new relationship” with Jon, Brie blindsided her with news that she had been in touch with him.
“For a long time, we’d go on and off. And it really took my husband to be like, ‘Brie, if my dad was still alive, I’d do anything in the world to text him. You’re lucky you have that,'” Brie explained to the cameras. “I don’t want to hang onto anger. I don’t want to keep thinking about the past. I just want to let go. But I didn’t tell my mom because I knew it would hurt her.”
Upon learning that the twins’ grandmother, her own mother, knew about the reconciliation between Brie and Jon, Kathy got angry and stormed off. Thankfully, Brie and Kathy were able to sit down and work through their fight.
“To read that and be responsible like, ‘Gosh, why didn’t I change some things then?’ That was one emotion,” Kathy admitted to Brie. “And then, I think I was just surprised that you had been seeing your dad.”
After hearing Kathy out, Brie acknowledge that she handled the situation poorly, but just wanted to protect her mom’s feelings. Thus, Kathy gave Brie her blessing to reconnect with Jon.
By the end of the episode, Brie and Nikki invited their father to join them and Artem Chigvintsev for dinner. It was during this meal that Jon revealed how he’s transformed since getting sober.
Per Jon, he was a “late bloomer” and had limited guidance growing up. After having Nikki and Brie at a young age, Jon struggled to give up his partying ways.
“One thing led to another, you know? Just a blurry life that I lived and then the addiction I was in and everything,” Jon detailed. “I never stopped being a good father, it’s just my addiction made me stop being there.”
Apparently, he woke up with a revelation, “enough is enough” and quit cold turkey.
“I’ve learned so much, so I promised to my god that I would never hurt another woman again, that I would be a different man,” he continued. “I accept what I did, I’ve apologized many times and I’m not ashamed to start from scratch again.”
However, Jon made it clear he won’t “dwell on that past.”
“If you want to come to me and talk about 18 years ago, I don’t want to talk to you,” Jon concluded.
This declaration came at a poor time as the twins had yet to bring up their book to Jon.
Will Nikki and Brie’s dad sign off on their tell-all? For that answer, be sure to catch the twins’ trip to Mexicali during next week’s episode.
Watch a brand new episode of Total Bellas Thursday at 9 p.m., only on E!