Free BOUGHT: A Standalone Romance by Glenna Sinclair Page B

asking questions about you for six months now. He found one of the letters that I was writing to you by mistake.”
    I glance down at the boy. He pushes long hair out of his face, his expression a mix of fascination and anger. My mouth is dry; I’m lost for words. What do I say to him? The panic that I felt the day before was nothing compared to this feeling. Connor jogs into the apartment and looks between all of us, confused.
    “What’s going on?”
    Kyle is the first one to break the silence. “Are you my real mom?”

Chapter Seven
    I blink. Mary, Connor, and Kyle all stare at me expectantly. Words try to form on the tip of my tongue, but I find myself choking on them as I stutter nervously. I’ve never really been good at dealing with my problems, so I do the first thing that comes to mind. I run.
    Connor and Mary’s voices drift after me. I don’t stop. My finger jams against the elevator button again and again, but when it doesn’t ding I jog down the stairs instead. Part of me knows that I’ll have to face it all eventually, but the other half makes me keep running.
    I slip behind the wheel of my car. Memories began to flood my mind, memories that I thought had died a long time ago. Fumbling around, I realize my keys are not in my purse. My head thuds against the steering wheel.
    You’re going to have to go back up there. You know you have to.
    Sighing, I pick my head up. Connor peers through the window, his eyebrow raised. He opens my door as I turn to look at him. Words won’t form as he looks at me, so I turn away from him.
    “What’s going on?”
    Sighing, I shake my head. “A lot more than I have time to explain,” I mumble as I look forward.
    Mary and Kyle are slowly walking over to us. Her arm sits around him firmly, but I can tell he’s angry. They stop beside the driver’s door, and Connor moves out of their way.
    “Katie, please. I could really use your help,” Mary says, her mouth in a straight line.
    I sigh. Slowly, I push my way out of the car. All of their eyes on me make me feel nervous. I grasp at my fingers awkwardly, fully aware that they’re waiting on an answer from me.
    “I-I can’t help you.”
    Mary bends down so that she’s level with Kyle. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls up some wadded up bills. “Go across the street and grab yourself some lunch. I know you’re hungry.”
    Kyle glances between me and Mary before he finally nods. I watch him shove his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans before he shuffles off across the street. I turn back around to find Mary glaring at me. Her hand is wrapped around the black strap of the purse that’s slung over her shoulder.
    “You’re going to have to tell him the truth.”
    “I said I can’t—”
    “If you don’t take him, he’ll go to an orphanage. Those places are horrible, especially for someone his age. Is that what you want for him? …I didn’t think so.” Mary sighs before she takes my hand. “If you didn’t care about him, you would have shipped him off when he was a baby, but you didn’t. You found him a loving home. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep up my end of the bargain, that I can’t keep raising him, but it’s your turn now. Please, Katie.”
    “I’m not Katie anymore,” I mumble. “I’m Angela.”
    Mary grins. “Yes, so I heard. Still, I need you to take care of Kyle.”
    I sigh heavily. Glancing around, I try to avoid Mary’s eyes. She seems to have the ability to look through me, and I don’t like it. Looking over at her, I feel my defenses sinking away.
    “Fine,” I mumble. “I’ll tell him.”
    “Good,” she says with a satisfied smile. The weariness she’s been holding back covers her face. Suddenly, she looks a lot older. “Thank you, Katie.”
    “Angela,” I mumble, my hand running up and down my arm. “I-I have no idea how to take care of a child.”
    Mary chuckles. “Trust me, he’s practically old enough to take care of himself. You’ll be fine.”
    I turn to