Our first dance as husband and wife.
She closed her eyes.
The start of our forever.
Mia sat in the courtyard, with the summer sunshine warming her skin as she looked out at the endless acres of grapes stretching as far as the eye could see. It was one of the most beautiful places she’d ever travelled to, and she couldn’t believe that every time she thought of her wedding, her memory would bring her back here. It was truly magical.
The men had all gone to tour the property, and instead of going with them, the seven women and Mia had all decided to stay and share glasses of wine—their final moments together before it was time to say goodbye.
‘It’s like a fairy tale, being here,’ Mia said, sighing as she reached for her glass. ‘I still can’t believe it.’
‘Well, it just so happens I have an idea, since you’ve all enjoyed visiting so much,’ Lily said.
Seven pairs of eyes turned to her, some with eyebrows raised in curiosity.
‘I want you all to come here every year,’ Lily said. ‘Antonio and I want to host you. We want you to stay here and come together as family, so that we properly keep in touch. It’s our gift to you all.’
‘We are family,’ Ella said. ‘I’ve felt it from the moment we all came together.’
‘Me, too,’ said Mia, as the other women all murmured their agreement.
‘I want us to still be friends when we’re old ladies,’ Lily said. ‘I want our children to grow up knowing one another, for us to have a big Italian holiday together every year. For us to never lose this connection we have, and to make sure we keep Hope’s memory alive. I’d like to honour what she did for our grandmothers.’
Mia reached out for Lily’s hand on one side and Ella’s on the other. ‘Then we will. Every year, all eight of us.’
She watched as Ella linked hands with Charlotte, and Charlotte with Georgia. As Blake, Rose and Claudia all did the same, until they were joined in a circle.
‘What we have is too special not to cherish,’ Lily said. ‘We’re connected in ways that are impossible to describe, but it means something.’
‘It’s as if the universe brought us together for a reason,’ Rose said.
Mia squeezed the hands she held, just as the voices of their men reached them on the breeze. They only had a few moments left, just the eight of them, and she looked at each one of them, savouring the moment and hoping to stamp it into her memory forever.
‘I never imagined what a journey this would be when I found those little boxes,’ she said, smiling through the tears shining in her eyes. ‘But I will be forever thankful to my great-aunt for what she left behind. My hope is that she’s looking down on us, that she can see that her kindness and compassion extended so far beyond what she did all those years ago.’
‘To Hope’s House,’ Lily said, raising her glass.
They all raised their glasses just as their husbands appeared, their eyes locked on one another. One moment in time in whichthey could reflect on how far they’d come, and the miracle it was that they’d ended up in one another’s lives.
For you, Hope. For all the women you helped, for your courage, and for giving me the gift of love and friendship. You will never, ever be forgotten.
EPILOGUE
MANY YEARS EARLIER
Hope sat facing her garden, the sunlight catching on the seven boxes lined up on the table in front of her. She sighed, reaching out to touch the one closest to her, barely recognising the gnarled fingers that traced across the soft timber.
For years she’d dutifully sent out the boxes that young women had left behind for their babies. Many hadn’t wanted to leave anything, but many had, and she’d taken great pride in sending them to their intended recipients, following through on the promises she’d made. Sometimes it had taken her months of searching, when records had no longer matched or names had changed, but she’d mostly always been able to find whom to send them to.
But not these final seven.
These last boxes had either been returned to her, or she hadn’t been able to find a contact to send them to at all, and she was at a loss what to do.
Hope tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the sunshine wash over her. She was an old lady now, and she knew that there was only so long before the women she’d helped and the stories she held were nothing more than a memory. Whichwas why it had been so important to her that she fulfil the promises she’d made, even all these years later.
Hope gathered all the boxes then and stood, ambling slowly through the house and up the stairs until she reached her office. She lowered herself on creaking knees and lifted the loose board, placing the boxes there, her hand brushing past the bottle she’d hidden so many years before.
She stayed on her knees a moment, even though doing so hurt, as memories washed over her. It wasn’t often she let herself dwell on the past, but sometimes, every now and again, it was impossible not to remember all that had come before.
