“Oh, sweetness. How long have you had that picked out?”
“Since I was about twenty-three. William Ian Bradshaw has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? We can call him Will for short.”
“William was my dad’s name, but everyone called him Bill.”
“Then William would be a perfect name for our son.”
Ian nodded and smiled, looking quite touched. “What name did you have picked out for a girl?”
Kate shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t remember. What name did you have picked out for a boy?”
“Didn’t have one.”
She smiled.
Ian enveloped her in a bear hug. “We are such a good team, Katie.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Ian was waiting for Kate at the end of the makeshift aisle on the deck overlooking Shallowbag Bay. Phillip and Chad stood next to him, all of them sweltering a bit in their tuxedos. An August wedding might not have been their best move, but neither he nor Kate wanted to wait for cooler weather.
Kate and Steve’s arms were linked, and she held a bouquet of raspberry-colored roses in her left hand as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Ian had never seen anything more breathtaking than Kate in her wedding gown. Three months of lying on a beach and swimming in the ocean had turned her skin golden brown. The diamond headpiece he’d surprised her with, which had made her cry, shot out brilliant prisms of light and only added to her radiance. Looking at her reminded him how close he’d come to losing the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he was going to get choked up if he thought about it for too long. There weren’t many things that scared him, but not having Kate by his side was one of them.
There had been moments during their stay on Roanoke Island that had sliced through his heart, like the time Kate burst into tears after saying she liked the confines of their cottage and the island because she always knew where he was. Before he’d received the tear-filled voice mail she’d left him on his birthday, he’d never heard her cry. Before she’d stepped onto that plane and realized he was alive, he’d never seen her cry. Every single one of the tears she’d shed had been his fault, and he vowed not to ever make her cry again unless they were happy tears.
The faint notes of the wedding march filled the air, and Kate and Steve walked slowly down the aisle. When they reached the end, Steve bent down and whispered something in Kate’s ear. Ian hoped it wasn’t a last-minute plea for her to run, but he wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was. Steve kissed his daughter, and then he and Ian shared a look. An unspoken agreement passed between them: You will not hurt my daughter again. You will not put her in harm’s way. Earning Steve’s trust would take time, and Ian would be on probation with him for a long time, maybe forever. The reasons were justified.
Diane had convinced them to write their own vows. After the wedding officiant welcomed everyone and completed the invocation, he nodded at Ian. Phillip handed him a folded sheet of paper, and Ian recited the words he’d written.
“I love you, Kate. You’re beautiful and kind, and from this day forward I vow to be your partner, your lover, and your friend. I will be faithful, devoted, open, and honest. I will cherish you, I will keep you safe, and I will provide for you. I will never hurt you, and I will do everything I can to show you that you made the right decision when you chose me. I promise that life with me will never be boring. You mean the world to me, and my love for you will never waver.”
Her big brown eyes were swimming in tears by then, but the smile never left her face.
Now it was Kate’s turn. She gave her bouquet to Chad in exchange for her vows. “I love you, Ian. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. I promise to be your faithful partner no matter what life throws at us. I want you to know that I love you just the way you are because it’s part of what makes you special to me. I promise to always believe in you and support you and love you. I trust you and will stand proudly by your side. You are my one true love, and from this day forward, and all the days of our lives, you will have my heart.”
A tear ran down her face, and he let go of her hands just long enough to wipe it away. The sound of Diane, Susan, and Kristin sniffling could be heard as they proceeded to the exchange of rings.
“Kate, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and commitment,” Ian said as he slid the diamond-encrusted wedding band Phillip handed him onto her finger.
Chad gave Ian’s ring to Kate.
“Ian, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and commitment.” She slid the matching platinum band onto his finger.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Ian leaned down and whispered in Kate’s ear. “This is our first kiss as husband and wife, and it will forever be known as the number eight.”
He held her face gently in his hands and gave her a deep openmouthed kiss with tongue. But he dipped her at the end, just so she wouldn’t confuse it with the number five.
She loved that.
Their guests applauded loudly.
He had never been so happy in his life.
They moved inside to the comfort of an air-conditioned reception room where they dined on fresh seafood and beef medallions. After a few drinks, Chad announced he was going to give a speech.
“Oh no, here it comes,” Kate said softly.
Ian laughed and put his arm around her.
They were sitting at a long table set for eight. Chad was sitting next to Kate, and he stood and cleared his throat. “First of all, on behalf of Kristin and myself, I’d like to congratulate Kate and Ian on their special day. May you have many years of wedded bliss. To my little sister, Kate: I love you and I wish you a lifetime of happiness with Ian. Clearly, you love this guy a lot. To my new brother-in-law: you have impeccable taste in both automobiles and women. You’ve brought excitement to the Watts family, the most we’ve seen in a long time. Or ever, for that matter. Something tells me there’s more to come, and I’m okay with that as long as Kate is. It’s kind of cool having a hacker in the family, even if you are a bit of a wild card, and I look forward to getting to know you better. Take good care of my little sister.”
Ian smiled, nodded once, and raised his glass. Chad leaned down and clinked it with his.
Kristin clapped her hands together and laughed. “Okay, let’s wrap it up.”
After dinner, there was dancing. Kate and her dad shared a father-daughter dance. Steve was actually smiling as he and Kate swayed to the music, so maybe he hadn’t drawn up the rough draft of an annulment just yet. Then Ian and Kate shared their first dance—and several slow, deep kisses.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
“More than once,” she said, and that earned him another kiss.
He ran his hands down the soft silk of her wedding gown until they rested on the small of her back. He loved Kate’s body. Naked, she was truly a sight to behold. But there was something about seeing her covered in bits of tulle and lace that drove him wild. He knew what it was hiding. Knew what was waiting there for him and how it would feel.
Her soft skin.
Her warmest places.
“I can’t wait to see you in your lingerie.” Kate had insisted that he not see her in her wedding gown until right before the ceremony, which meant he hadn’t been around to see how she looked in what was underneath it.
“You really outdid yourself this time. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
He’d given her La Perla again. The bustier was the same off-white color and tea rose pattern as the Chantilly lace babydoll nightie he’d given her for Christmas, and the Brazilian lace thong was likely going to drive him out of his mind. He’d also included a tulle garter with a silk-and-satin ribbon that he pictured encircling her long, slim thigh. When he took everything off later, he was going to leave that on.
After they cut the cake, Ian ditched his tie and shared a piece with Kate who was now sitting on his lap. She twirled the stem of her wineglass bet
ween her fingers and opened her mouth so he could feed her.
When they’d finished the cake, he set the plate on the table and reached for her hand, clasping it tight.
“I will be such a good husband to you.” He said it with conviction, and he meant it.
Her response was every bit as resolute. “And I will be a good wife.”
“My wife.” He kissed her tenderly. “You are my future, Kate Bradshaw.”
“And you, Ian Smith Merrick Bradshaw, will be my adventure.”
THE END
WHAT’S NEXT?
Follow Kate and Ian to Washington as the next chapter of their lives together unfolds in White-Hot Hack, the full-length, dual-narrated sequel to Heart-Shaped Hack. Publication details coming this fall. Sign up for my newsletter at www.traceygarvisgraves.com to get the latest updates.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply grateful for the contributions, assistance, and support of the following individuals:
My husband, David, because his encouragement means more to me than he’ll ever know.
My children, Matthew and Lauren. Thank you for being patient—again!—while Mom spent all that time with her laptop. I love you both.
Amanda Tadych. Thank you for your expertise on Northeast Minneapolis and for giving me the perfect neighborhood for Kate to reside in. Special shout-out to the gang at Twin Cities Live.
Elisa Abner-Taschwer, Stacy Elliott Alvarez, Trish Kallemeier, Hillary Faber, and Tammara Webber. Thank you for your encouragement and for helping me to see what I could not.
Peggy Hildebrandt. Even though you’re not a fan of reading a book in chunks, you agreed to read the first sixty pages of Heart-Shaped Hack. Your heartfelt enthusiasm and immediate request for additional pages encouraged me more than you’ll ever know. You are a true friend.
Megan Simpson. Thank you for answering my questions about public interest law. Your assistance was greatly appreciated.
Erika Stone Gebhardt. Thank you for every bit of your beta feedback and for coming to my rescue in Dallas. I’m sure swinging through the Walgreens drive-through to pick up my emergency Rx before meeting me in person for the first time wasn’t weird at all.
Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations. Your talent is immeasurable. This is truly my favorite cover and I spent a ridiculous amount of time just staring at it.
Anne Victory of Victory Editing. Thank you for your eagle eye and your words of encouragement. You helped me in more ways than one.
Jane Dystel, Miriam Goderich, and Lauren Abramo. You are truly the trifecta of literary-agent awesomeness.
Special thanks to the book bloggers who have been so instrumental in my ability to reach readers. You work tirelessly every day to spread the word about books, and the writing community is a better place because of you.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the booksellers who hand-sell my books and the librarians who put them on their shelves.
My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of you for helping to make Heart-Shaped Hack the book I hoped it would be. Words cannot express how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful and enthusiastic people in my life.
And last, but certainly not least, my readers. Without you, none of this would be possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tracey Garvis Graves is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband and two children.
She can be found on:
Facebook at www.facebook.com/tgarvisgraves
Twitter at https://twitter.com/tgarvisgraves
You can visit her website at http://traceygarvisgraves.com
She would love to hear from you!
OTHER BOOKS BY TRACEY GARVIS GRAVES
On the Island
Uncharted (On the Island, 1.5)
Covet
Every Time I Think of You
Cherish (Covet, 1.5)
Tracey Garvis Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack
(Series: # )
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