Page 64 of Blood and Buttercups

“Something like that.”

“Please tell me you’re shamelessly going to use him as a rebound.”

“He’s moving in, but don’t tell Max.”

Olivia covers her mouth, barely hiding her delighted horror. “Your mom’s going to disown you.”

“Mom’s not here.”

“Your dad might have a heart attack.”

“We’re not telling him.”

“And Max?—”

“Had better keep his mouth shut.”

She grins. “Your life is becoming a soap opera.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Abundantly amused, she plops onto the couch. Then she scowls like something is wrong, sticks her hand between the cushions, and pulls out the pregnancy test box. “Why?”

“I hid it the first time Noah came over, and then I forgot about it.”

Shaking her head, she returns it to its spot between the cushions. “If you end up getting pregnant with Noah’s secret baby, I want to be the first to know.”

“That will not be happening. And don’t just put itback—give it to me so I can throw it away.”

“That thing cost fifteen bucks. You can’t just toss it.”

Rolling my eyes, I shove it in her purse. “There.”

“Maybe you should keep it. That man is so full of testosterone, you might get pregnant just from looking at him.”

“I don’t think it works that way,” I say wryly.

“Wait.” She sits up straighter. “Can vampires get pregnant?”

“Final stage vampires can’t, but I’m not a vampire. So, I can, according to my doctor.”

“She actually covered that?”

“Just a minute.” I leave the room and return with the stack of pamphlets. Dropping them in her lap, I say, “Everything you need to know about vampire life is right here.”

“Whoa.” She blinks at the massive pile.

“Yeah, I know.”

“So…you’re not just messing with me? This is actually a thing?”

“It’s actually a thing.”

“Weird,” she breathes, flipping through the pages and pamphlets. “Is it even safe for me to be here?”

“Yeah, I snacked on a guy at the hardware store earlier.”

Horrified, her eyes fly to mine. “Really?”

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