Chapter 1

I only went to kindergarten to pick up my nephew.

But the next day, the teachers blew up my phone, saying I'd left my nephew on the slide.

I was confused. Then who was the kid I brought home?

Looking at the little boy sleeping in bed, drooling, and even calling me "honey," I felt my mind totally go blank.

Maybe I accidentally kidnapped someone else's kid.

And judging by the designer stuff this boy was wearing, his parents might be some big shots who could get me locked up for life.

*****

"Sophia. Where are you? Where the hell did you go? What did you do with my son?" Claire Brooks' voice on the phone was so shrill it felt like it could drill right through my skull.

I clutched my phone, frozen in place, my mind completely blank.

Something seemed off. Her son should have been at kindergarten right now.

Yesterday, my mom asked me to pick him up because Claire had something urgent come up.

I did pick him up. He was right there in my bed, sleeping like a little piglet.

Instinctively, I glanced back at my big bed with the pink sheets.

There was a tiny bundle sprawled out, some kid in blue dinosaur pajamas, spread-eagled across the mattress.

His mouth hung open, drool nearly soaking the pillow.

"Take it easy, Claire," I said, swallowing nervously as I tried to calm her down.

"Ryan's right here, out cold. Don't freak out so early, you'll wake him up," I said.

"With you?" Claire practically screeched, her voice going even higher. "Sophia, are you seriously out of it right now?

"No way. Ellie Lewis from Sunlight Kindergarten just called me. She said Ryan was hiding under the slide and fell asleep there yesterday, and the security guards only found him when they were locking up for the night," she snapped.

Ryan threw a fit because his mom didn't show up, so he snuck off to a hidden spot under the slide, inside one of those little castle decorations, and passed out there.

The teachers and security couldn't find him anywhere, figured he'd already been picked up, and didn't realize he was missing until way later.

His mom was on a flight with her phone off, so the teachers couldn't reach her. They only managed to get through to her this morning.

"He spent the night at Ellie's place. Sophia, who the hell did you actually bring home?" Claire asked.

Everything just blew up in my head.

I actually brought home the wrong kid.

The phone slipped from my limp hand and crashed to the floor, the screen shattering instantly.

But Claire's furious yelling still blared through the broken phone.

"Sophia. Say something. Whose kid did you actually bring home? You little troublemaker. I'm calling the cops," she yelled.

I couldn't hear a word. My eyes were locked on that tiny figure lying in my bed.

Memories from yesterday sped through my mind like a movie on fast-forward.

Yesterday, my mom had frantically told me to pick up Ryan from Sunlight Kindergarten. She said Claire had to fly out for an emergency, was in an international meeting, and her phone might be off.

Picking up a kid sounded easy enough, so I just went along with it.

"Go to Class 3 and get Ryan. He'll be the one in blue, the super well-behaved one. Remember, blue clothes, the best-behaved kid," my mom said.

I rocked up with some serious bedhead, yawning all the way there.

Sunlight Kindergarten was the fanciest preschool in town. Out front, even the cheapest cars were worth six figures.

My beat-up car that barely cost 30 thousand looked totally out of place parked next to all those luxury rides.

When I got to Class 3, a bunch of adorable little munchkins were lined up, waiting for their parents.

I spotted the kid right away.

He was rocking a perfectly tailored little blue suit, with a crisp white shirt and a tiny bow tie at his collar.

His face was so cute it could melt my heart, and his lashes so long they looked like little fans.

He stood quietly in the corner, not making a peep, totally different from all the other kids who were bouncing around like little monkeys.

My mom said to look for the cutest one in blue.

He was definitely my nephew. Just look at those genes. He had to be a Reed, just like me.

I rushed over, squatted down, and plastered on what I hoped was my friendliest grin.

I squeezed through the crowd, crouched down, and called out tentatively, "Ryan?"

He looked up, those big, grape-like eyes staring at me for a few seconds, his long lashes trembling. He didn't say anything.

But he didn't deny it either. Instead, he just quietly grabbed the hem of my shirt.

It had been a long time since we last met, and he had grown so much. It was normal to be shy, not saying a word. He was indeed the most well-behaved and adorable.

The new teacher, who looked totally swamped, glanced over, saw the kid wasn't putting up a fight, and asked, "Are you his parent or guardian?"

I answered with total confidence, "Absolutely, I'm his aunt."

The teacher saw the kid clinging quietly to my shoulder and just waved us through.

He stayed completely silent the whole way, and I just figured he was shy around strangers.

He lifted his head, those gorgeous eyes staring at me for ages. Then his lips started to tremble, and I could tell he was about to cry.

My stomach dropped. It had been a long time since we last met. He didn't know me.

I quickly fished out a lollipop from my bag and waved it in front of him. "Come on, be good and come home with me. There's candy waiting for you."

His eyes locked onto the lollipop, and that pout vanished. But instead of reaching for the candy, his chubby little hand grabbed onto my shirt.

He didn't say a word, just tilted his head up and stared at me with those big eyes. My heart totally melted.

My nephew was just pure squishy cuteness overload.

I scooped him up and kissed his squishy cheek. "Let's go, I'm taking you out for some treats."

He rested quietly on my shoulder, his little hand still clutching my collar.

Once we were out of the school gates, I buckled him into the car seat in my beat-up old car.

He was super quiet the whole ride, just staring out the window with those big, curious eyes.

I figured he was just shy around me, so I kept chatting to him, trying to get him to open up.

"Ryan, were you happy at Sunlight Kindergarten?" I asked.

He kept silent.

"So, what did your teacher teach you today?" I asked.

He didn't answer me.

"Did you get into any fights with the other kids today?" I asked.

Not a single word out of him the whole way.

I thought to myself, this kid was a bit aloof. Nothing like my sister's loud and boisterous personality at all.

But honestly, with a face that cute, I guess being a little standoffish just comes with the territory.