Free Taking a Shot by Catherine Gayle

indulge, when was?
    He winked and headed for the counter.
    I got so caught up in watching the wedding taking place that his return startled me. He’d bought a whole box of doughnuts, not just one or two for each of us. The box was full, and each doughnut was a different kind.
    “Is your blood sugar low or something?” I joked.
    “Nah. I thought we could take some to your family, too.”
    Yeah, Jamie Babcock was getting to be more and more perfect by the moment. I melted a little bit at his thoughtfulness, particularly since I had a feeling Dad had been treating him miserably ever since the night he asked if he could bring me to prom.
    Once I’d finished eating mine and the wedding ended, I really couldn’t stop myself from yawning.
    “All right, Cinderella,” Jamie said. He stood up and collected the box, holding out his other hand for me. “Time to get you home.”
    I didn’t want the night to end, but there was no chance I could come up with the energy to fight it. We headed out to his car and got in. He started the engine, but he didn’t back out of his spot right away.
    “Is something wrong?” I asked.
    Jamie shook his head, but he was blushing. God, I loved how he blushed and got embarrassed about things. It helped me to remember that he wasn’t that much older than me—not too far out of my reach. He took my hand. “I just— I really want to kiss you again, without everyone watching and before I get you home. I don’t think your dad will like it too much, and—”
    “Jamie?” I had to cut him off because my heart felt like it would explode if he kept talking about kissing me instead of actually kissing me.
    His eyes were so dark I couldn’t tell the blue from the black when he faced me. “Yeah?”
    I leaned toward him and tilted my head up. He angled his head at the same time, and we bumped noses.
    “Sorry,” he said.
    “Knock it off and kiss me.” I was laughing when our lips finally met, which was a thousand times better than crying.
    He pulled away far too soon. Even though it had been just a sweet kiss, my pulse was galloping through my veins. He put the car into gear and backed out of his parking spot. “It’s almost midnight,” he explained.
    “You’d better get me home, then.” I didn’t want to have to hold Dad back if we were late. I was too tired for that.
    All the downstairs lights were still on when we pulled into the driveway. I knew better than to think Dad would have gone to bed without making sure I was home safe first. He liked to torture the boys I dated, both before and after our dates. No wonder I’d never had a boyfriend for long. My dad could be pretty intimidating.
    Jamie held my hand the whole way inside, even as we went into the living room where Mom and Dad were waiting up on the couch. Both of their gazes immediately fell on us—Mom’s happy, Dad’s mad. Dani and Luke were both in there, too. Dani was reading a book and Luke was playing a video game on his Nintendo DS. They both looked up and then went back to what they were doing, but Dani had a huge grin on her face. Dad glared at our connected hands.
    “We stopped at Voodoo Doughnuts before coming back,” Jamie said. He set the box down on the closest table. “Thought you might like these for breakfast tomorrow.”
    Mom smiled at him. “Thanks. Did you have a good time?”
    A good time didn’t even come close to describing what tonight had been. I yawned as soon as I opened my mouth to answer her.
    “I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Mom said.
    Dad still wouldn’t smile, though. “Practice in the morning, Babs. You’d better get home.”
    “Yeah. Headed that way,” Jamie said. But he pulled me back into the entry hall with him before he left, drawing me in close to him like he’d held me when we danced. “Thank you for letting me take you out tonight.”
    Those stupid tears were pushing at the backs of my eyes again. I just wanted them to go away and stay away. “Thank you for taking