No one said anything for the longest time, but it was apparent that each was thinking that in a way Cely had touched even Anna’s life. Shannon wiped a tear from her eye before saying, “It’s still a mystery to all of us why she did what she did. Cely loved life too much to give it up. I miss her so damn much.”
“We all do,” Faith said, chiming in. She then turned back to Anna. “You would have liked her. She was truly special.”
“Yes, you would have,” Monique agreed. “But even in death, she’s with us. I’ve felt her presence the entire time I’ve been here.”
“So have I,” Shannon said.
“Me, too,” Faith murmured softly. “She’s the reason we came here this summer, and because of that, she’s the reason we found the men we love.”
“Then I think this calls for a special toast,” Anna said, holding up her glass. “To Cely.”
The other women nodded. “Yes, to Cely,” Faith said, smiling. “For helping us to realize what a woman truly wants.”
The women toasted a friend who was no longer in their midst but who would always remain in their hearts.
Epilogue
Washington, D. C.
January
Three women who had discovered what they’d wanted just six months earlier stood in the huge church as bridesmaids—three of ten. They smiled as they watched the bride walk down the aisle on the arms of her grandfather, Robert Fuller.
“She is simply beautiful,” Faith whispered to Shannon, who nodded in agreement. She then glanced across the way to the groom, who was also staring at his soon-to-be wife with total awe and love etched in his features. This was a beautiful day for a wedding, and the entrance of the bride had made it doubly so.
Moments later Anna stood beside Zachary as they faced the minister, repeating vows and pledging their lives together. There wasn’t a dry eye left in the church when Zachary and Anna recited their own personal vows they had written to each other.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride, Zachary.” Once the minister said the words, Zach didn’t waste any time doing just that.
A hour or so later at the reception, Faith, Shannon, and Monique looked around for the men in their lives. Monique and Lyle’s wedding was planned for the spring. Shannon and Adam had decided on a June wedding. Faith and Shane were looking forward to a late summer wedding on Hilton Head.
Adam, Shane, and Lyle smiled as they walked toward the women they loved, glad they had been the men these three special women wanted.
A Reading Group Guide
1. Do you feel Faith, Monique, and Shannon were right to feel guilty because they didn’t know that Cely felt like giving up? Should they have known, since they were all close friends for many years?
2. Was Faith justified in keeping Shane at arm’s length because of what she went through with her first marriage?
3. Considering Shannon’s mind-set regarding the type of man she wanted, did Adam handle the situation effectively? Should he have been more or less tolerant? Why?
4. Why do you think it was easy for Monique to fall in love with a man like Lyle after losing “the perfect husband”?
5. Do you think Zack handled the situation with Anna properly, making sure a political career was something she wanted before deciding to run for public office?
6. What did you like most about the book?
7. Which hero was definitely what a woman would want, more so than the others? Why?
8. Do you think Faith and Monique had realistic expectations about what they wanted? Why or why not?
9. Do you think Shannon was wrong in allowing her parents to influence her feelings regarding the type of man she wanted in her future? Would you let your parents influence you?
10. Which of the four women do you think had the most emotional baggage? How did each deal with it?
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What a Woman Wants Page 29
