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‘M, e, a, n, i, n, g. Mee-aning.’

‘Meaning,’ says Luke, and clears his throat. ‘Well done, Will.’ He gives him a little clap, then looks down shyly.

Lara beams at Will, giving him a thumbs-up, then turns to look at Luke. He slowly looks up and back at her, the connection clear between them.

‘This has been the best month of my life,’ he says.

‘Well, you’ll be here full time come midday tomorrow,’ I say, as brightly as I can manage.

I don’t want to think about the packing I still have to do before the deadline tomorrow. There’s the fridge to sort, and the bathroom, and the last of my coats and boots. The boxes of photographs of my life with Paddy here on the farm are boxed and taped up. My clothes are in black bags, and my knitting needles and wool are bagged up too. But I’ll have to get up early. The charity truck is arriving in the morning, and I have to load the Land Rover with the belongings I want to take.

Luke drops his head again. I know that life here with Scarlett and the ever-present Mogs will look very different. This forest, for one, will be torn down to make a manège for the horses; the barn will be turned over to an indoor riding school and the old milking parlour demolished for stables. As for the farmhouse, I’m expecting it to be flattened.

‘I’ve got Horse’s,’ I say, trying to lighten things. I’m sure his will be something like another new blade for the saw, or gloves so his fingers don’t get spiked by the needles. I smile as I open it. ‘It says, I wish . . .’ I start to slow down, not finding the humour there that I was expecting. ‘To put down roots,’ I finish slowly, and look up at him. He looks straight ahead into the fire.

‘I’m with Luke,’ he says, his big hands clasping the mug of curry he’s eaten. ‘This has been the closest thing to a settled, happy life I’ve felt in years, maybe ever.’

The words sit in the silence that follows.

‘Hopefully you will again, in the new job,’ I say, and wish I hadn’t. I don’t want to think of him not being here.

Then Lara says, ‘What about yours, Gwen, what did you wish for?’

Luke opens my envelope and reads it out: ‘I wish that this was forever.’

We all look at each other, our eyes wide.

‘And Will?’ Lara asks gently.

‘Well, yours got stepped on,’ I tell him. ‘It only reads half of the message. But you got your wish.’

Lara opens the torn envelope. ‘It says “forever home”.’ She looks up and smiles.

‘And that is what you’ll be going to,’ I say, hugging him a little closer.

‘No,’ he shakes his head. ‘No,’ he repeats. I’m confused. I’m not sure what he’s saying no to.

‘What, Will? What is it?’

He stands and takes the card from Lara, one end mangled from being stepped on in the forest.

‘It says . . .’ He takes a deep breath and takes a run at it. ‘It said, I wish Christmas Tree Farm was my forever home. With Gwen, Horse, Lara and Luke, Tegan and Dinky. Huey, Louie and Dewey, and Gloria. And that we could keep Delilah and one of the puppies, too. And next year,’ he looks up and around the forest, ‘we make the spice hut cafe even bigger and better. And that more people come to hang ornaments on the trees for the ones they love. And when I’m older, I can tell people that this is where my roots are. Here with the trees.’

And with that, he sits back down, holding the wish in his hand with two words on it. Forever home.

‘I was thinking about school, too,’ he adds, while the rest of us are still speechless. ‘It sounds fun. I could go to the one Khadiza is going to. We’d be in class together.’

We all sit in stunned silence and then slowly look around at each other.

Finally, I say, ‘But I thought you wrote your wish for a new forever home and family.’

He shakes his head.

‘I wished that this was my forever home and family. Even if it was just for visits,’ he says quietly. ‘Just so I could visit my family here.’

And then I blurt out, ‘What time does the solicitor’s office shut?’

Chapter 38