I Had a Baby without You novel · Chapter 24 of 24
Chapter 24: Five Years Old
Poppy turned five on the second Saturday in December.
It snowed all morning.
By noon, the diner held what felt like the whole neighborhood.
The mailman wore a paper crown.
The line cook had made a cake in the shape of a lantern, and the banquet captain stood guard over it with his cane.
The laundry women had brought their grandchildren.
Rhona's mother ran the juice table.
The old housekeeper sat in the corner booth in a new purple cardigan, receiving visitors.
Even the detective had come, in a plain coat, with a stuffed rabbit under his arm.
He said he wanted one afternoon of cake before the trial.
Gretchen was not there.
She had pleaded guilty to the fraud three weeks ago and would be sentenced after the new year.
She had written Poppy a card.
I had read it first, and it said only *Happy birthday,* with no excuses and no request.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of I Had a Baby without You are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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