The Baby Blitz Quotes

“Hell of an aim, brother. Did this happen on your wedding night?” “Olly!” Maggie looks mortified. “You can’t ask things like that.” “Can I embarrass my sister, who sat on my head and farted on me when I was a child? Why, yes, yes, I can.” My sister pinches me, and I yelp, which makes her snicker. “Actually, we got a little ahead of ourselves, and I found out I was preggers right before the wedding, but I was headed for the altar, so who cares? As long as I had this man locked down tight before I pushed out his kid, we’re good.” Her words give me pause. Because Maggie wanted to go slow, I hadn’t thought much beyond getting us to the point where we were officially together. Now I wonder if Maggie wants to get married. She’s having my babies, so I think we should at least discuss it. Or will asking her freak her out again? Right now, it’s a toss-up. But I think I want to ask. Not because she’s pregnant, but because I love her.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Speaking of money, I can pay rent. I talked to the housing office yesterday, and they said I can use the funds allocated for the football house to pay you. I just need you to fill out a form.” I expect her to be happy about the news, but she frowns. “Maybe just give me half of that money and keep the rest.” “Why would I do that?” “Because like Billy said, this place is a mess, and you’re not getting any of the amenities you had at the football house.” Fucking Billy. “Think of it as both of us investing our money in something for the twins.” She thinks about that a moment. “Really?” “Yes, really.” Before I forget, I grab a notepad off the counter. “I’m going to get groceries later. Why don’t you jot down whatever you want me to get?” “I don’t need anything.” This woman is going to kill me. “What do you plan on eating this week?” She shrugs. “Ham and cheese on crackers. Some soup. Why?” “You need more than that. You’re gestating two babies, Magnolia. You can’t treat yourself like a starving college student.” “I just… I can’t pay you back right away.” Did I not just offer to pay her rent and she was trying to return half of it? She’s making me insane. “I don’t expect you to pay me anything. I want to get us groceries because we need them. I’m in training and burn a shit ton of calories. You’re pregnant and need to eat more than a damn Triscuit.” “Why are you raising your voice at me? I’m doing the best I can. Half the time I can’t eat anything because it comes right back up, so what’s the point? I’ll try to eat something later, okay?” She storms off and slams her bedroom door.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Suddenly, a fast whirring sound fills the room, and I turn toward the doctor. “That’s your baby.” After a moment, though, her smile morphs into a frown, and then she has the technician tweak something on the monitor. They whisper to each other, and I start to freak out. Olly stands next to me, leans down, and whispers, “Everything’s okay. I’m right here.” “Actually,” Dr. Perkins says slowly, “here is your other baby. Congrats! You’re having twins.” And that’s when Michael Oliver, an elite athlete and my baby daddy, whispers, “Holy shit,” and passes out cold.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Where do we go from here? Have you decided what you want to do?” My heart is in my throat as I wait for her response. I never knew I wanted a baby like I want this one, but I do. With my whole being, I do. But Maggie’s the one who has to carry it for nine months. She whispers, “I want to keep it, which I know will be tough because I have another year of school, but no matter how at odds we’ve been over the years, this baby is special to me because it’s part of you.” Her eyes fill with tears, and it about kills me. I take her hand and tug her toward me until she’s out of her chair and in my lap. “That’s probably the best compliment anyone has ever given me,” I say softly as I kiss the top of her head. I hug her to my chest and ignore the stares of the customers around us. “Does this mean you’ll give me a chance to be more to you?” She sniffles and sits up to look at me. “How much more do you want to be?” Everything, Magnolia. I want to be everything to you.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“I pull out the pregnancy test. Michael moves over to sit next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. My head fits perfectly under his chin. It’s such a random thing to notice, but I’m trying not to freak out, and there’s something so steadying about this man. Closing my eyes, I rest my forehead against his chest. His low voice rumbles in my ear. “Whatever it says, you’re going to be okay. Like I said, I’m here for you no matter what. Together, we can handle this.” I hand him the test. “You look.” He’s quiet for a long moment, but then he lifts my chin and gives me the sweetest smile before he kisses my forehead. “How do you feel about being my baby mama?” A”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“From the passenger seat of Michael’s car, I eye the pharmacy like it’s a viper waiting to strike. “Look, I know you’re a ‘rip the Band-Aid off’ kind of person, so let’s go in there and get a pregnancy test,” Michael says. “At least we’ll know what we’re dealing with.” I turn to him, surprised. “How do you know this about me and Band-Aids?” “Because once, a long time ago, you and I used to be friends. You always told your mom you wanted the bad news first.” “And you remember this?” His eyes travel over my face, and I hate that it’s probably red and swollen from puking, but he gives me a tender smile. “I remember a lot of things about you.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Magnolia. Her hair is down, and she’s wearing a little sundress. She’s so beautiful, she takes my breath away. But her cheeks look hollow, like she’s lost weight recently. Is she having money trouble again? Is she not getting the groceries she needs? Why the hell haven’t I grilled Sienna more? She’s been strangely silent on the topic of her bestie. She and Sienna hug, but the two of them look somber for some reason. Next week, Ben and Sienna will be moving to Houston. The girls are probably sad to be separated. I feel like a thirsty man dying in the desert, steps away from a drink of water. But Ben and Sienna’s party doesn’t seem like the appropriate place to break the ice with Maggie. For all I know, she’ll toss her drink in my face. After a bit, I see her head toward the bathrooms. This is my chance. I follow her and wait in the hall. She’s in there for a while. Then I hear it. The puking. Is that Maggie? I pace outside the bathrooms, wondering if I should go in there, when I spot Ben’s aunt Teresa. “Tía,” I say, because we all call her Tía. “Can you check on Maggie for me? She’s in there, and it sounds like she’s getting sick.” Teresa and Maggie have spent a lot of time together at Ben’s taking care of his daughter, so she isn’t a stranger. After a moment, Teresa sticks her head back out. “Come help me.” I follow her in and find Maggie sprawled on the floor next to the toilet, dry-heaving. “Jesus, Maggie. What’s wrong?” I scoop her hair back and get a good look at her face. She’s pale. Really pale. And covered in sweat. This close, I can see dark circles under her eyes. “I’m fine,” she says, but when she wipes her mouth, her hands tremble hard. She starts retching again. “Did you get food poisoning or something?” Her eyes fill with tears. “I don’t know. I’ve had this bug I can’t seem to kick.” Teresa scoots in behind me and hands me a wad of damp paper towels. “Wipe her face.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Tough cojones, brother. Listen, by any chance are you Michael Oliver, the running back on the team? You go by the nickname Olly?” I close my eyes and tilt my head back. Great. Just what I need now. For my dirty laundry to be aired out across town. “Who wants to know?” “Just a fan. I’m Samuel, by the way. I think we had bio together freshman year.” “Hey, man. How’s it going?” It takes every ounce of energy in my body to be friendly. “By the sound of it, better than you. Hey, we’re having a little shindig over here tonight. Wanna come over and toss back some beer?” Fuck it. “Yeah. Sure. Think you might want to help me figure out how to win back a girl who probably hates my guts by now?” A deep chuckle rumbles out of the phone. “I’m a plotting master. Get your ass over here, and we’ll figure it out.” 18 MAGGIE”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“An hour later, I’m on my way home when I can’t fucking stand it any longer. I haven’t a clue what I’ll say to Magnolia if she picks up, but I want to try one last time. I pull over to the side of the road and, with my heart in my throat, dial her name. Four rings later, someone picks up. “Maggie, don’t hang up. Please hear me out.” A deep, masculine voice clears his throat. “Is this Michael?” “Who the fuck is this?” He snickers. “Just a friend. Listen, Imma do you a solid. This is not Maggie’s number.” I freeze and try to process his words. I double-check who I dialed, and sure enough, it’s Maggie’s contact info on the screen of my phone. “What do you mean? I’ve left her a million messages. Were they all going to you?” “Yup. And I gotta say, your night sounded hot as hell.” He lets out a whistle. “But I think your girl Maggie got her one-and-done and ghosted ya.” I’m going to be sick. “She didn’t give me her number.” “See? Case in point.” “No, that’s not what I mean. Her brother gave me her number. And I guess… I guess I punched it in wrong. Or I misheard. I don’t fucking know except it’s been weeks now. Jesus, if she wasn’t pissed at me before, she is now.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Michael Oliver, did you have groceries delivered to my door via my neighbor, or did I imagine that?” The deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face makes me laugh. “Will you be mad if I admit that was me?” “Why would I be mad?” He shrugs. “You like to do things on your own. Didn’t want to mess with your girl power vibe.” Girl power vibe? “Plus, we’d had that horrible conversation at the store. Didn’t want to upset you again, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop worrying that maybe you needed some groceries.” I’m momentarily speechless. As we sway to the music, I dust off some lint on his tux. “You know, I baked you a pie and left it on your doorstep to thank you. Did you get it?” He stops moving. Tilts his head. Growls. “Johnny ate my damn pie!” His outrage puts another smile on my face. “It probably wasn’t even that good.” “Everyone knows you’re a damn good cook, Maggie.” Little flutters fill my belly at the compliment, and I make a mental note to bake him another one.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“Relax, Maggie. I’m not gonna bite you.” It’s a strange experience to finally hold her. I might’ve been Bash’s friend first and initially viewed Maggie as a little sister, but I remember the day that changed. From the moment she strolled up on my lawn on a blisteringly hot summer day with a scraped knee when she was thirteen and I was fourteen, I’ve wondered what it would be like to make this girl mine. To hold her when she cried. To be the reason she smiled. To have the words to make her laugh. I ruthlessly locked away those urges. Sebastian was my best friend. In our small town world, you don’t mess with your buddy’s little sister. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what that meant. I just liked the way Maggie always smiled when I caught her looking. Like a toy secreted away in my pocket, I wanted that. Except I learned to look away when she turned my way. Pretended I didn’t light up inside when she was around. Dated other girls when I wondered what it would be like to ask out Bash’s beautiful sister. It’s something I try not to think about—what might have been. When Maggie doesn’t respond, I lean close to whisper in her ear. “Vanessa wasn’t enjoying herself, and she obviously didn’t click with my family. We both agreed it was best to go our separate ways. So she left last night.”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz

“clear my throat. “So you like Greg?” “What’s it to you?” The chill in Maggie’s voice makes Siberia sound tropical. “Just making idle chitchat.” “No need. You can go back to ignoring me.” I face her. “When have I ever, in the history of you and me, ever ignored you?” She rolls her eyes. “Perhaps ‘ignore’ isn’t the right word. Maybe I should say you avoid me.” “I don’t avoid you.” “Sure. Let’s go with that.” The parents are now dancing with the bride and groom. We have a minute, so I grab Magnolia’s elbow and tug her into a nearby hall. “What’s your problem?” “My problem?” she hisses. “Didn’t you know? It’s always been you. You have some damn nerve, acting like you and Vanessa didn’t keep me up half the night. Pretending you didn’t know your room was right next door to mine.” I still, my feet rooted to the ground. “What are you talking about? Vanessa left last night.” She scoffs. “Someone was howling, ‘oh, Daddy, hit it harder’ on the other side of my wall. I seem to recall you had that room. In fact, I saw you open that door this morning, half-clothed, so don’t lie.” Oh, shit. I laugh, relieved as hell, now that I understand why her feathers are all ruffled. “Michael Oliver, don’t you dare laugh at me.” Her face is flushed, and she looks like she might deck me. She’s beautiful in her fury. Ready to bust me up if I’m not careful. Makes me want to kiss the hell out of her. I hold up both hands. “Just listen, okay?”
― Lex Martin, The Baby Blitz