“Hey,” he said, looking me in my face even though I was trying to look away from him. “Are you okay? Hey.” He grasped my chin and turned my face his way.
The longer I looked at him, the dizzier I became.
“Jenny, are you okay, babe?”
And then my knees went weak beneath me, and I felt myself falling. The last thing I saw before the world around me went black was Josh’s worried expression and his mouth opening as he screamed out for help.
38
Josh
I sat next to Jenny’s bed and held her hand. For an emergency room, the doctors and nurses didn’t seem to be in any rush. Thankfully, not long after they got her settled into a room, she began to feel better.
I held myself together the best I could for Jenny, but the fact was, a lot had happened in a short amount of time. I had an attack and pushed her away. I found out I was a father, which I still had a ton of questions about. And then Jenny had passed out in my arms in the stables.
I shook my leg nervously, waiting for some answers as to why my girl was passing out. I silently prayed she was okay and promised myself that no matter what, we would get through anything together. I would do what I could to take care of my family, even if it meant another stint in rehab and taking the medications they prescribed.
“Josh, relax. I’m sure it’s nothing,” Jenny said, laying a hand on my knee to keep me from shaking it.
I reached down and held her hand in mine before bringing it up and kissing her knuckles.
“I’m just nervous.”
“There’s no reason to be nervous. I’m sure it’s just my blood sugar or something. I haven’t eaten today.”
I shook my head, trying not to be upset with her for not taking better care of herself. I opened my mouth to tell her exactly what I was thinking, but the doctor came in and closed the door behind him.
“How are you feeling, Miss Michaels?” he asked without looking up from his clipboard.
Jenny sat up in the bed and pulled the hospital gown down around her knees.
“Much better. Did everything come back okay?” She asked the question I was dying to ask.
The doctor looked up and nodded. “Yep. Everything looks good. You’ll need to follow up with your OB, though.”
Confusion crossed Jenny’s expression. “My OB? But why?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed your nurse told you already. You’re pregnant, Miss. Michaels.”
“What?” Jenny and I asked at the same time, our voices melding together as one.
The doctor looked up at us and grinned.
“Yeah. I have it here. Your pregnancy test was positive. You should probably eat something because your blood sugar was a little low, but other than that, I think you should be fine to go home. Do you have any questions?” he asked, unaware of the bomb he had just dropped in the room.
Jenny shook her head, and I wanted to stop her because even if she didn’t have questions, I sure as hell did. Mainly, how was this possible? Had she been with someone else? She had just told me I had been her only, except now she was pregnant, and I had been told I was never going to be able to have kids.
The doctor left the room, leaving Jenny and I alone.
“Josh, are you okay?”
I didn’t know how to ask her if there had been someone else, but I needed to know. I wanted no more secrets between us.
“Just tell me. Let’s just get it all out now before we put it all behind us and move forward,” I said, looking down at my hands since I was unable to look her in the eye.
“What are you talking about?”
“Just tell me who and when and promise you’ll never see him again. That’s all I want to hear.”
She cupped my cheeks and lifted my face to hers. “Josh, I just told you. You’re the only person I’ve ever been with. You’re it for me.”
I shook my head, unable to believe what she was saying.
“That’s impossible.”
Her smile was soft. “Obviously, it is.”
“But they told me I …”
She put a finger to my lips, stopping me from saying anything else.
“I don’t care what they told you, Josh. I’m here standing before you and telling you now. You’re the only man I’ve ever slept with, and I’m pregnant. This baby is yours and so is Caleb. You’re a daddy … times two.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. In one day, I had gotten everything I could ever want. My girl and the family to go along with her. I pulled her into my arms and buried my face into her neck to breathe her in. I needed to know she was real.
“You just made me the happiest man in the world, Jenny. You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted. What can I give you? You name it, and it’s yours.”
She pulled back with a beautiful smile that I hoped to see every day for the rest of my life.
“Some gummy bears would be nice.”
I laughed, loving her even more at that moment.
My girl wanted gummy bears and I would spend the rest of my life making sure she got them any time she wanted them.
EPILOGUE
Josh
Jenny was in labor for twelve hours with our baby girl. She was determined to try for a vaginal birth, but since Caleb had been a cesarean, the doctors weren’t too confident about it. Still, she tried until they told her it wasn’t going to happen. Even though she was having contractions, she wasn’t dilating.
Vaugh’s words from before moved through my brain like a freight train as they prepped Jenny in the surgery.
My mom said Jenny almost died giving birth.
I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts and waited just outside the room for them to let me in. Every part of my clothing was covered in the white paper jumpsuit and booties they made me put on. I slid the paper hat over my head and looked up when the door opened, and a nurse peeked her head around it.
“Mr. Black. You can be with your wife now. They are about to get started.”
I nodded and followed her in.
The room was cold and sterile. The walls of white surrounded my Jenny, who was lying in a bed with a sheet covering the lower half of her body. They sat me on a rolling stool at her head, and I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“You’re going to do great. She’ll be here before you know it.”
Her smile was stiff, and I knew she was just as nervous as I was.
Minus the first few months and the horrible morning sickness she had, her pregnancy hadn’t been terrible. I went to every appointment, determined not to miss a single thing.
I closed my eyes and thought about the first time I saw the heartbeat and the way my heart had jumped inside my chest.
The first ultrasound when we could see the baby’s profile had been amazing, but the gender reveal party Lilly and Devin had thrown for us was the best. I had expected another boy, and when the fireworks went off above our heads, shining in all their pink glory, I thought for sure Jenny was going to pass out.
A girl.
My tomboy was having my baby girl, and I was thrilled about it.
Jenny was shaking, her lips were blue, and her skin was pale. I leaned over her, pressing my face to hers. “Baby, try to relax. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”
I hoped to hell I didn’t break that promise.
“I love you,” she whispered with trembling lips.
“I love you more.”
“Okay, we’re getting started. You might feel some pressure,” the doctor behind the sheet said.
Jenny clenched her eyes tightly, and a tiny sound escaped from her lips when the doctors began to move her lower half.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, fear lacing her words.
I rubbed her cheek, trying to keep her attention on me, but again, she made a strange noise, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Minutes passed, and my worry grew.
“You’re doing great, baby. She’s almost here,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel.<
br />
Then everything paused, and the sounds of a crying baby echoed throughout the room.
“And here she is,” the doctor said, holding our baby girl up high enough that both Jenny and I could see her.
Her skin was pink, and her face was squishy. She opened her tiny lips and cried loudly, filling my heart with so much joy I gasped.
“She’s beautiful,” Jenny cried.
I nodded, agreeing but unable to speak. I stood and watched as they cleaned her and weighed her. They did a few other things, and I took pictures, feeling in awe of her tiny perfection.
Jenny chuckled at me from her spot in bed. Once the baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket, the nurse brought her over to Jenny, and we both breathed her in, placing soft kisses on her chubby little cheeks.
Once I knew Jenny and baby girl were okay, I left the room and went to the family waiting room to let everyone know the baby was here. Harold, Jenny’s dad, stood when I entered the waiting room, and his face paled.
Devin stood as well, holding Lilly’s hand and waiting for news. The kids played in the play space the hospital had set up, coloring and laughing without realizing what was going on around them.
“Is everything okay?” my mom asked, worrying a tissue in her hand.
I grinned and nodded, and the tension in the room dissolved.
“She’s here, and she’s perfect. Momma and baby are doing well.”
The room filled with happy laughter as everyone moved in and pulled me into hugs. I had never felt happier in my life. I couldn’t wait to get back to my wife and daughter, but before I went back, I wanted Caleb to know he had a little sister.
I pulled away from Lilly, whose pregnant stomach was protruding and pressing into me, and turned toward Caleb. He had stopped coloring with the commotion and was watching as everyone celebrated.
“Is Mommy okay, Daddy?” he asked, moving my way with his arms up for me to pick him up.
My son.
Hearing he was mine had been one of the happiest moments in my life, but apparently, I had been the only person clueless about it. My parents had always known and when Jenny went to tell her family, they had already known, too. Needless to say, everyone was happy it was out in the open and they wouldn’t have to hold it back any longer.
I picked him up and pretended to struggle, making him laugh. He was a big boy for four years old, but I would always welcome him with a hug. I set him on my hip, my smile making my cheeks ache as I took a minute to relish in being called Daddy. It never got old. Every time he called for me, it was like being called Daddy for the first time all over again.
“Mommy’s perfect and so is your baby sister. You can see them soon, okay?”
He nodded and put his arms around my neck and hugged me, and at that moment, everything was right.
Once they put Jenny in a room, I went in and found her sitting back in bed. Our baby girl was sleeping peacefully in a clear bassinet at her side. The name Baby Black was writing on a pink card on the end of it.
Sitting beside Jenny in bed, I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
“You did amazing, baby.”
She chuckled. “I literally laid there while they cut her out of me. It wasn’t like it was hard work.”
I could hardly believe her words.
The past nine months hadn’t been easy, but my wife had done an amazing thing. She had grown a healthy baby girl from the inside. She was tired. She was sick. And she still managed to be the most amazing wife and mother a man could ask for. She had no idea what a champ she was.
“You’re crazy. You gave me a daughter and a son. You’re my hero,” I said, pushing a lock of loose hair from her face.
She kissed me when I leaned in and then pulled back with a grin.
“What do you think everyone will say when we tell them her name?” she asked.
I laughed, knowing the family was going to have a field day when we told them.
“I think they will love it just as much as they love her.”
I went over to her bassinet and took her little hand in mine.
“Daddy loves you, Candy Girl,” I whispered.
Candice (Candy) Elizabeth Black was born with a head full of dark hair and the sweetest pouty lips. She was the newest member of the craziest family any guy could ask for. She was blessed with grandparents to help guide her, an aunt who would spoil her rotten, an uncle who would be almost as protective as her daddy, and the best big brother a girl could ask for. And if I was a lucky man, she would have two parents who worshipped each other for the rest of their lives and remained in love until their very last breath.
THE END
Thank you for reading Thick & Thin and thank you for your reviews!
Keep reading for what’s coming next and get a sneak peak of the rest of The Chubby Girl Chronicles!
Tabatha is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for her sexy adult romance Little Black Book.
Tabatha writes in all genres, including adult and new adult, and isn't afraid to venture into the dark side on occasion, as she proved with her dark, prison romance, Slammer.
She's an avid reader of all things smutty and the writer of sexy stories featuring redeemable alpha bad boys and sweet, strong women.
Her other loves include her children, her loving, supportive husband, anything historical, and wind chimes.
When she isn't writing, she's texting book ideas to herself.
Tabatha is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
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The first time I saw Skull, he was standing atop a speeding motorcycle.
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
TABATHA VARGO
On the Plus Side
Copyright © 2013 by Tabatha Vargo
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
On the Plus
Side/ Tabatha Vargo
Cover Art by Regina Wamba/Mae I Design and Photography
Editing Services Provided By Cynthia Shepp Editing
Formatting by Inkstain Interior Book Designing
ISBN-13: 978-1481870917
ISBN-10: 1481870912
“But, Dev, he hit me first… kind of,” Jenny said as she handed me a socket wrench. I was under the car, of course. Under the hood of a vehicle was my second home.
“It’s not my fault he didn’t protect his balls. You always protect your balls. Even I know that, and I’m a chick.” She bit her nails as she talked. I could tell by her muffled voice.
“That’s debatable. Me and Dad aren’t so sure anymore.” I chuckled as she kicked my booted foot, which stuck out from under the car. “Also, could you please not talk about balls with me? I’m pretty sure there’s like a rule about little sisters saying the word balls anywhere in the vicinity of their brother. If there isn’t, let’s just go ahead and put that rule on the books.” I released the old oil from the engine.
It splattered up from the oil pan and landed on my grease-covered shirt. I pulled the rag from my back pocket and wiped my hands so that I could get a better grip on the ratchet.
“I’m assuming the new rule applies to the word cock, too?” She laughed.
“Yes!” I said, a little too loudly. “That word is strictly forbidden.”
“Don’t be a little bitch, Dev,” she said as she slipped a new oil filter under the car to me.
“Watch your damn mouth, Jenny. Could you at least attempt to be a lady? Ladies don’t kick boys in their balls because they win a game of Halo. I’d be pissed if I were him, too. You need to call him and apologize. Josh has been your best friend too long—don’t let a stupid game ruin that.”
Thick & Thin (Chubby Girl Chronicles Book 3) Page 25
