Honeysuckle Summer (24 page)

“I love you,” she whispered as she placed her hands on his warm, sun-kissed shoulders. She waited for the faint flicker of fear at the risk of embracing an untested future, but all she felt was yearning and need.

And then she was in his arms…where she felt safer than she ever had in her life.

H
oneysuckle twined through the specially built arbor in the backyard, the flower’s sweet scent filling the air on a clear summer evening. There was even a sprig of the vine in Raylene’s bouquet to remind her of the day she’d first realized how thoughtful Carter could be.

She stood just inside the back door and thought about everything that had happened in the past year—Paul going back to prison, her slow but steady conquest of her fears, becoming a godmother to Meg, then standing up as one of Sarah’s bridesmaids when Sarah and Travis had married in the fall in a ceremony that had been everything Sarah had dreamed of and deserved.

Now it was Raylene’s own turn, a day she’d never thought would come just one brief year ago. She was marrying Carter, and they were going to Bermuda for their honeymoon, her first trip out of the country, just one more step on her path to a perfectly normal life.

“You look amazing,” Annie said, straightening the short train on Raylene’s simple white dress. “You were made to wear that dress.”

Raylene shook her head. “I don’t need designer
clothes anymore, or fancy china and silver, or expensive champagne with dinner. I discovered too late how little those things mean. I’m happier than I’ve ever been with the off-the-rack clothes from my little shop on Main Street, the plain white dishes I found at Crate & Barrel and a pitcher of sweet tea at the end of the day.”

“Face it, if you’re anything like I am with Travis, you’re so besotted with Carter, you don’t even notice what you’re wearing or eating,” Sarah said, radiating contentment. Or maybe the glow came from the secret she’d shared just a few days earlier. She and Travis were expecting their first child.

Sighing with satisfaction at how well things had turned out for all of them, Raylene glanced outside and caught a glimpse of her husband-to-be.

“I am definitely besotted,” she admitted.

Sarah followed her gaze outside, then laughed. “Thanks for letting Libby be a flower girl, but I hope you weren’t counting on her sticking with the program.”

Raylene spotted Libby already tossing rose petals in every direction. When Travis tried to take the basket from her, her face scrunched up. She looked about two seconds from throwing a tantrum. “Maybe it’s a sign we should get this show on the road,” Raylene said. “What are we waiting for? Where’s Walter?”

“Here he comes, right on cue,” Sarah said. “I still can’t believe you asked my ex-husband to give you away.”

“He might have been a lousy husband, but he’s been a good friend,” Raylene told her. “With my dad gone and my mother still sulking because I gave up what she considered to be the ideal life, who else was there?”

“We could have done it,” Annie said.

“You’re my matrons of honor,” Raylene said. “From
the time we were little girls, that was always the plan. Maybe that’s why my first marriage was such a disaster, because the two of you weren’t there for the wedding.”

“I could say the same about mine,” Sarah said, her starry-eyed gaze seeking out Travis, who’d hoisted Libby into his arms as a consolation for not letting her toss any more rose petals before the wedding. “With you all as my witnesses last fall, along with all the Sweet Magnolias, I know this marriage will be a keeper.”

Raylene grinned. “You don’t think your faith in that has just a little bit to do with the man you married?”

Sarah blushed. “Well, sure, Travis does get some of the credit for making me happier than I’ve ever been.” She waved off the conversation and focused her attention on Raylene. “Enough about me. This is
your
day. And just like me, you not only have us, but all the Sweet Magnolias here to give it their blessing. That’s some powerful mojo going on.”

Raylene blinked.
“Mojo?”

“Luck, magic, whatever you want to call it,” Sarah said. “It’s all on your side today.” She gestured around the yard. “Take a look. Have you ever known a more loyal group of friends?”

Raylene turned misty-eyed. “The Sweet Magnolias are pretty incomparable.”

Maddie, Helen, Dana Sue and Jeanette were all turned in their seats, watching the house, waiting for the start of yet another ceremony that would launch one of their own on a path to a lifetime of happiness.

“They look restless to me,” Annie proclaimed, just as Carrie and Mandy burst into the house, their expressions anxious.

“What’s taking so long?” Mandy asked, looking lovely and way too grown-up in her junior-bridesmaid dress.

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” Carrie asked, worry puckering her brow. She tugged at the top of her strapless dress. “If this falls down in the middle of the ceremony, I will have to move to another state.”

Raylene grinned. “It’s not going to fall down. You look beautiful. You both do. I couldn’t be happier that I’m going to be part of your family.”

“Then stop dillydallying,” Annie said. “Let’s get you married. I’m not sure how long Tom can keep Carter calm. He’s starting to look as if he’s about to come in here and drag you out.”

“I’m ready,” Raylene said, filled with a kind of confidence and serenity she’d never expected to feel again.

Walter held the door for Sarah, Annie, Mandy and Carrie, then turned to her.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “Carter’s a lucky man.”

“Rory Sue lucked out, too,” she told him. “I still can’t believe you said your vows in midair. Every time I think about it, I get chills down my spine.”

“Me, too,” he admitted. “I’m still shocked I didn’t black out.” He grinned at her. “Thank you for keeping your wedding on the ground.”

“That’s just who we are,” she said, her gaze going to each of the Sweet Magnolias before settling on Carter. “Two normal, everyday people surrounded by friends and with a whole wonderful lifetime of magic ahead.”

1. Raylene has been severely traumatized by domestic violence and willingly admits that she waited too long to leave her husband. Have you ever known anyone in an abusive situation? How did she, or he, handle it? If it was a friend or family member, did you encourage that person to seek help or offer a safe haven? Were you too quick to judge her or him for not getting out, or did you understand how difficult that might be?
   
2. What resources are available in your community for victims of domestic violence?
   
3. What did you think of the refusal by Raylene’s mother to acknowledge the abuse? Have you known family members who turned a blind eye to domestic violence? What were their reasons?
   
4. Raylene’s reaction to what she experienced was to hide from the world now that she’d found a safe haven in Sarah’s home. Have you ever known anyone who simply hunkers down and hides from the world after any kind of bad news or a trauma? Did it reach the level of agoraphobia, a diagnosed and paralyzing fear of leaving the house?
   
5. Though Sarah and Annie both encourage Raylene to seek help, neither of them insist on it. Do you think they’re being supportive, or are they enabling what has become self-destructive behavior?
   
6. When Carter meets Raylene under less-than-ideal circumstances, he is quick to judge her. As he learns her story, he realizes that things are not always as they seem. Have you ever made a judgment of someone’s actions that you’ve come to regret? What were the circumstances?
   
7. As a police officer, Carter is trained to want to help people. How do you think this tendency plays into his attraction to Raylene? Have you ever known anyone with a knight-in-shining-armor complex who seeks out damsels in distress?
   
8. Carrie’s eating disorder is, in part, a reaction to the deaths of her parents. Have you ever suffered a great personal loss? How did you handle it? Did food play a role, either as a solace—by eating too much—or did you not eat at all? Was this temporary, or did it become a dangerous pattern?
   
9. When Raylene throws Walter and Rory Sue together, she’s well aware that he’s a traditional kind of guy and Rory Sue’s a flirtatious rebel. It’s an immediate case of opposites attracting. Do you think opposite personalities do well together? Or does the attraction burn out? What have your own experiences been like?
   
10. Throughout this book and the entire SWEET MAGNOLIAS series, friendships have been at the core of the stories. Do you have strong ties to your friends? Are they people you’ve known since childhood? Since college? From the time you settled in
    the community? Where you now live, or where your children started school? How did the bonds form? Have they ever been tested? How did that turn out?