On the Plus Side

by Vargo, Tabatha

  I crept into our bedroom, and, without turning the lights on, I made my way through the dark bedroom and into the shower.

  After my shower, I slipped through the bedroom to my side of the bed and turned on the lamp. The dim light illuminated a small portion of the bed, but it was enough to see my beautiful wife sleeping. Her dark hair spilled over her pillow and a light flush made her soft cheeks pink.

  Instead of being in her toddler bed in her room, Emma was balled up next to her mother’s pregnant stomach, her tiny three-year-old fist balled up under her chin.

  It was such a beautiful sight that I didn’t want to move them over to make room for myself. Lilly’s eyes popped open when she felt me adjusting Emma’s small frame.

  “Hey, baby.” She flashed me a sleepy smile. “Sorry, she had a bad dream.” She ran her fingers through Emma’s hair.

  “It’s OK, sweetie.” I leaned in and gave her a tiny kiss. “Go back to sleep. You need all the rest you can get, baby.”

  She turned on her side facing me and tucked her arm under her pillow.

  “Mom stopped by today.” She rested her other hand across her stomach and smirked. “She took Emma to the park for few hours. When they came back, Mom had mud all over her pants. It was so funny.”

  “Your poor mom doesn’t stand a chance with Emma. She’s so much like Jenny.” I reached out and ran my fingers over Emma’s soft cheek before settling my hand on Lilly’s stomach.

  I felt a small bump against my palm and smirked.

  Lilly hissed a little then shook her head. “He’s been doing that all day. I think he’s ready to come out.” She softly rubbed her stomach.

  “He’s gonna be a hard ass like his daddy.” I smiled proudly.

  “Yeah, like I can handle a mini you running around,” she laughed.

  I loved her laugh. I loved everything about her. I tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

  “You’re the only person in the world who knows how to handle me.” I leaned in and gave her a kiss.

  “Imagine what the world would be like if I weren’t here to keep you tame. That makes me a valuable commodity to the community,” she giggled.

  “No, baby, that makes you priceless.”

  Acknowledgements

  For me, this is the hardest part of writing a book. Telling a story is the easy part, but sitting down and trying to thank the people who have supported you is very difficult, especially when you have lived a full life filled with wonderful people. That being said, I’ll give it a shot.

  This may sound weird, but I’d first like to thank any person who ever said a rude thing to me about my weight. There’s never been a point in my life that I wasn’t overweight, so this happened a lot in my world. At the time, the things you said were very hurtful, but looking back now, I’m glad you said them. You single-handedly fueled this story. You planted the idea in my brain and watered it every time you said a hurtful thing to me. So, thank you.

  Secondly, I’d like to thank my Beta readers, Mary Smith, Melissa Andrea, Ruthi Kight, and Katy Austin. You ladies are amazing, and I appreciate the late night messages and your honest opinions. I’m very blessed to have met such wonderful people throughout the entire publishing process. I’m amazed by the amount of support I receive from people I’ve never met in person. Again, I thank you guys.

  To every blogger who jumped on The Fat Bitches Blog Tour and to every single person near and far who have helped to promote or supported my work. I love you all more than you could ever know.

  To Tabitha Short, thank you for picking through and finding every missing word or comma. Also, thank you for helping me find new names for the female pleasure point. You’re awesome, chick!

  To Regina Wamba, for being so freaking amazing with cover art. Everything you touch becomes visually stunning and I’m so glad to have your lovely name attached to my work. Thank you for my beautiful cover!

  Last by not least, to my wonderful husband, Matthew. You took the insecure girl I used to be and turned her into the confident woman that I am today. Thank you for telling me I’m beautiful every day for the last eleven years of my life and thank you even more for meaning it. The love that you have shown me over the years has nourished me and helped me blossom. I love you, baby.