They’d talked for hours, long after the fire died to nothing but orange coals. When they got cold, instead of stoking the fire, they climbed under the covers of his bed and talked some more. In the dark, quiet of the small hours of the morning she and Mitchell talked about their dreams and came up with a plan for their future.
When she’d finally fallen asleep in his arms, she’d done so with a light heart and a smile on her lips for the first time she could remember in a long time.
Moving carefully so she didn’t disturb him, she eased her shoulders off the bed, so she could check the time.
‘Hey.’ His voice was sleep-roughened and sexy.
‘Sorry. Did I wake you?’ She squinted at the clock on Mitchell’s side of the bed. Just after nine. They’d both needed the sleep in.
‘Nope, I’m awake. I was lying here enjoying the view.’
She giggled. ‘It’s pouring rain and from this angle you can’t even see the beach.’
He turned her, so they lay front to front, her head nestled on his chest, and let out a satisfied sigh. ‘This is the only view I’m interested in.’
Outside the wind picked up and twigs and small branches clattered on the tin roof. The air had cooled in the wake of the storm the night before. She snuggled closer. ‘I could stay here all day.’
‘Sounds good to me.’
‘But I need to go to the bathroom.’ She slid out from under the covers.
‘Do you need any help?’ he asked as she hopped to the ensuite.
At the door she stopped and turned, flashing him a warning look. One of the things she’d told him last night was that under no circumstances was he to offer to help. If she needed it, she’d ask.
He held up his hands in the surrender position.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,’ she said when she climbed back into bed and wrapped her cold toes against his.
He smoothed her hair behind her ears. ‘Sweetheart, I’m not offering to help because I don’t think you can do it on your own or because I think you need my help. I’m offering because I’m trying to be a gentleman. Beth would skin me alive if I didn’t look after you.’
‘Beth would probably skin you alive if she knew we were sleeping together.’
He chuckled. ‘I can assure you Beth will be the first one cheering us on.’
‘No. I think that might be Courtney.’
‘True.’
‘What do you have planned today?’ she asked.
‘Hmmm. Maybe making love to you again.’
She playfully punched his arm. ‘We can’t do that all day.’
‘I’m happy to prove you wrong.’
‘Seriously. What are we doing today?’
‘I’m going to lie here and stare at you until I know the placement of every freckle on your face.’
‘That will get boring.’
‘Never.’
He stared at her for so long her face felt like it was on fire.
‘What are you looking at?’
‘I told you, I’m staring at you.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you are so beautiful, every part of you, and I can’t believe my luck.’
She exhaled, low and slow.
‘Come here,’ he whispered.
She let him pull her close and allowed him to wrap his legs around hers. She put her arms behind his neck, rested her face against his chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart. She could stay here forever.
‘Do you know what I used to fear the most?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘That I would never find a place to belong or a place to call home. And that I was unworthy of being loved. I was hurting and broken, defective. If it wasn’t for the Simpsons, I have no doubt I would have ended up in the same place Monika did.’
Hope stayed quiet.
‘You’re going to have to give me a lot of grace if this is going to work. I’ve spent my life avoiding emotional intimacy, and my coping mechanism is to push the people closest to me away. There will be times I’ll wake up and wrongly presume you’re going to leave just because we’ve had an argument or a disagreement over something small. Promise me if you think I’m becoming emotionally distant or detached, know that it’s my self-protection mechanism and what I really need from you is your love and support to get me through it.’
‘I can do that. As long as you promise to love me when I feel like I need some space.’
He smiled. ‘Of course, I can do that. I promise you, Hope, I don’t want to control you or smother you.
‘Thank you.
He kissed her gently. ‘I love you, Hope, and there is no doubt in my mind we’re meant to be together forever.’
‘I love you too.’ The words slipped out with a smile before she knew what she’d said, and for the first time in forever, everything felt right in her world.
Mitchell’s smile widened. ‘I guess that means I should make it official.’
She frowned. ‘Make what official?’
He grinned. ‘My love for you.’
When he slipped out from under the covers and dropped to his knees on the floor beside her, Hope’s heart started pounding. She searched his face and watched a tiny pulse beat in his throat.
He opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a small box and handed it to her. ‘I want you to stay with me forever, Hope, but only if you’ll agree to marry me.’
Even though that was the last thing she was expecting, she didn’t hesitate.
‘Yes,’ she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck. ‘Yes, yes and yes.’
He took the box back and opened it, revealing a stunning diamond ring. Removing it from the box, he slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.
Their eyes locked and she felt goose bumps up and down her arms as her heart raced.
He gently cupped her face in his hands. ‘Have I told you how perfect you are?’ His lips gently brushed hers.
‘I’m far from perfect.’
He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. ‘Perfect for me.’
‘Thank you, Mitch,’ she said, in a barely more than a whisper.
‘For what?’ he replied, his voice low and husky.
‘For being you and for loving me.’ She moved her head and kissed his lips.
‘I’ll never stop loving you.’
As he kissed her again, Hope’s world fell away. His kisses were slow and soft, comforting her and loving her in ways that no words could. His hand rested below her ear and his thumb caressed her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her hands down his back and pulled him closer until there was no space left between them and all she could feel was the beating of his heart.
His kisses obliterated every fear of the future that kept trying to push its way into her head and for the first time, Hope found her mind locked on nothing but the present. The worries about the past and about the future evaporated. Everything about the way he was kissing her spoke of new beginnings and of the promise of much more to come.
She finally pulled back and put her hand on his chest, splaying her fingers and staring at the stunning rock on her finger.
‘Just one thing,’ she said.
‘Yeah?’
‘Are you in a hurry to start a family?’
He hesitated, searching her eyes. ‘I guess there’s no rush.’
‘It’s not that I don’t want children, but I want to be a little selfish and enjoy some time with you first before we start a family. It’s taken us so long to get together that I want to spend time with you before we have to share each other with someone else. Does that make sense?’
She saw his shoulders relax. ‘Perfect sense. You don’t mind sharing me with my animals though?’
She laughed. ‘Not at all. I was actually thinking we should get a puppy.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Four dogs aren’t enough?’
She pouted. ‘But those Border Collie puppies we saw at the show were very cu
te.’
He shook his head. ‘Let’s see how you go when you’ve lived with my dogs first.’ He planted another soft kiss on her lips. ‘I have one thing to ask you too.’
She waited.
‘Is it okay if we practise making babies, just so we know what we’re doing when the time is right?’
She laughed. ‘That’s probably a great idea.’
‘Are you happy to start now?’
‘I can’t think of a better time.’
Epilogue
Winter had segued into spring and onto summer and now the once bare branches of the jacarandas were in full vivid colour. A few weeks ago, they’d commemorated another special Christmas together and tonight Hope and Mitch were joining with their friends and family to celebrate Mitchell’s New Year’s Eve birthday.
And their second wedding anniversary.
A hint of wood smoke tinged the air from the fire the boys had just lit.
Hope glanced across to where Mitchell stood with Jordan and Lachie tossing logs onto the fire and remembered the incredible night of Mitchell’s fortieth birthday, two years earlier. So much had happened since then.
That night all their family and friends had gathered at The Ark to celebrate. New Year’s Eve had started early with fireworks and lots of food and drink as they’d celebrated the beginning of Mitchell’s “Festival of Forty”.
It had ended a few hours later with Hope and Mitchell exchanging solemn vows under the stars.
They’d planned the entire surprise wedding in secret, and it had been totally worth it for the expressions on everyone’s faces. The only people who were in on it were Hope’s parents who had flown home from Africa for the event. Mitchell had contacted Hope’s dad and asked for her hand in marriage and explained their plans.
After Mitchell stood on the back deck and got everyone’s attention, Hope, on her dad’s arm, had walked slowly through the crowd in a long white dress. It hadn’t taken more than a heartbeat for everyone to grasp what was happening and there had been so many cheers and whoops that it had taken a few minutes to get everyone to quieten down enough for the wedding to start. Hope’s dad had performed the simple ceremony and afterwards the guests had danced and partied until dawn.
Her parents had stayed for a couple of weeks and Hope had enjoyed every moment of their short time together before they headed back to the mission field.
Three weeks later, Monika had peacefully passed away with Mitchell, Hope and Beth at her side, and a small funeral service and cremation was held in Macarthur Point. Afterwards, Mitchell and Hope went to the beach behind his house and scattered Monika’s ashes into the wind. It had been a poignant moment and one Hope had dreaded on Mitchell’s behalf, but in the short time he’d had with his mother, he’d found total healing and peace.
A week later Hope and Mitchell went to New Zealand for their month-long honeymoon.
Hope smiled as a giggling Piper and Charlotte ran past her with Ollie trailing behind trying to keep up with them. There was no doubt the little boy was besotted with his sisters and there was no doubt the girls had strong personalities and would keep him in line.
Courtney waddled behind, heavily pregnant, urging them not to get too close to the fire. She carried a packet of marshmallows in one hand and a handful of long sticks in the other.
‘You look like you need help,’ Hope said.
‘It’s like herding cats,’ Courtney replied with a roll of her eyes. ‘I need to be an octopus sometimes to keep hold of them. I don’t know what I’m going to do when this one arrives.’
Hope smiled. ‘You’ll cope exactly the way you did when the triplets were born. Brilliantly.’
‘She’s a natural mother,’ Margot said, coming alongside and taking the marshmallows from Courtney’s hand letting Courtney chase after her children.
As always, Margot was dressed immaculately, and no-one would ever know the health scare she’d had nearly three years earlier. Since then, her heart, literally, hadn’t skipped a beat.
‘You’ll be a great mum one day too,’ she said to Hope with a smile.
Hope felt herself blush and resisted the urge to put a hand to her belly where her big secret lay. Later that night she and Mitchell were going to tell everyone about their pregnancy with a surprise gender reveal.
She gazed back towards the fire. Mitchell had set up hay bales in a large circle and as their friends drifted in, they found spots to sit. Some people had brought picnic rugs and they’d set them up on the grass and laid them out. She couldn’t see Mitchell, but she heard him laughing with her cousin Sam as they set up the BBQ.
Sam had shocked everyone by showing up for Christmas. He wasn’t planning to stay in Australia for long, so everyone was making the most of having him home, especially Margot and the other members of the Awesome Foursome.
Hope caught Jordan’s eye and smiled. As she’d expected, Liz had broken things off and since then Jordan had gone out with a couple of other women, but none of them had lasted. Hope continued to believe one day he’d find the woman who was right for him. If he didn’t get his act together, she was going to set him up with one of her friends from Melbourne.
Hope searched for Beth and Bill and smiled sadly. Bill’s dementia was very advanced now and most days he lived in a past world. Beth was incredible, continuing to love him unconditionally, celebrating the moments when his memory cleared enough for him to remember her or Mitch or Jordan. He and Beth had moved to a retirement village where Beth could access as much nursing care as she needed in order to care for Bill as long as she could. She regularly brought him out to The Ark and Hope always looked forward to the visits, just to see the way he’d close his eyes, lift his chin and smell the salty sea breeze. In those moments, he looked at peace.
On the other side of the fire, Clancy and Ian sat side by side, deep in conversation. The two men were firm friends and now business partners. Ian had retired completely from the vet clinic and was working with Clancy operating a deluxe horse driven carriage company which was booked up for weddings a year in advance. When Clancy had suggested Ian move into the old cottage on his property, Ian had jumped at the chance. Now neither man was lonely.
Mitchell caught her eye, smiled, then tapped his watch and raised his eyebrows.
Her heart fluttered as she nodded in reply. It was time to share their news. She went to him and slipped her hand in his. Together, they walked over to the deck.
‘Hey, everyone,’ Mitchell shouted. It took a few minutes to get everyone’s attention. ‘Before we have dinner, Hope and I have something to tell you.’
Courtney’s eyes widened, then she squealed. ‘Are you pregnant?’
Hope nodded and laughed when Courtney threw herself at her.
They were quickly surrounded by their family and friends congratulating them.
‘We’d actually like to reveal the baby’s gender,’ Hope said when everyone had finally quietened down enough to hear her.
‘Do you know what you’re having?’ Margot asked.
Hope glanced at Mitchell and bit her lip to stop from smiling.
‘No, we don’t know,’ he said.
‘What do you think it will be?’ Beth asked.
Mitchell shrugged. ‘No idea.’ He turned to Hope. ‘Do you want to get the box?’
She nodded and dashed inside, returning moments later with a large cardboard box wrapped in pink and blue paper. On the outside was a large heart and the words “Boy or Girl? What will it be?” She placed the box on the grass between them and smiled at Mitchell. They couldn’t wait to share their next surprise.
‘Are you ready?’ Hope asked, gazing out at the eager faces in front of them.
‘Hurry up,’ Courtney called out.
Everyone laughed.
‘Five, four, three—’ Clancy started the countdown, and everyone quickly joined in.
‘Two. One.’
Hope and Mitchell lifted the flap of the box and a large gold balloon in the shape of a number 2 floa
ted out.
They laughed at the confused faced in front of them.
‘You’re having two babies?’ Jordan shouted as he realised what was happening.
Hope nodded and everyone started screaming again and hugging them.
‘But we don’t know what we’re having,’ she said, again raising her voice to be heard. ‘All we know is they’re identical.’ She reached into the box, pulled out two small packages and handed one to Mitchell. She kissed him tenderly on the lips. ‘Are you ready?’
‘As I’ll ever be.’
Hope’s mouth felt dry. This was the moment they’d been waiting for. Neither of them minded whether they had girls or boys. They just wanted them to be healthy.
They pulled off the wrapping at the same time and pulled out two blue jumpsuits. Boys!
Hope threw herself into Mitchell’s arms and hugged him tight.
‘You’re going to be the best Daddy ever.’
‘And you’re already the best Mum. I love you so much Hope Davis.’
‘I love you, too.’ She smiled at him. ‘I’m so glad you didn’t let me go.’
‘And I’m so glad you let me hold onto you.’
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Don’t you just love Macarthur Point? I’ve enjoyed bringing this book to life and hope I can take you back there again some day soon to find out whether Jordan and Sam have their own happy ever after endings like Mitch did. What do you think?
Firstly, thank you to my readers. It’s such a privilege knowing my books sit on your virtual and real-life bookshelves. Your enthusiasm for reading the type of books I write is the reason I keep going.
As always, thanks go to my writing buddies. Without your help, this book wouldn’t have happened. You encouraged me, believed in me and spurred me on to keep writing when I’d almost given it up. Alli Sinclair, Delwyn Jenkins, Ellie O’Neill and Lisa Ireland you are the Fab Four and I love you so much. Andrea Grigg, as always, thank you for being at the end of the phone whenever I’ve needed you – which is a lot. I couldn’t do any of this without you and your amazing ability to push me further and deeper.
Thank you, Annie Seaton, for designing the cover and also for your editing expertise once again. Your bluntness is much appreciated (!), and I hope I’ve done your editing justice.
Holding onto Hope Page 29
