Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tony stretched his arms over his head as he walked out onto the porch of the beachfront villa and sat down on the porch swing, which swayed slightly with his weight. He closed his eyes and let the sun bathe his face with its rays, trying to give his mind a rest from the events of the last months. He was on a well-earned break, though of course such a thing was impossible when one was the CEO of a company and a superhero.

Still, for the first time in days —no, years— Tony felt like he could finally breathe again.

Things had been hard for everyone lately, and he found himself struggling with his very own identity in these turbulent times. How could he not? He had been put into a coma, near death, by one of his best friends and only survived by the alterations he had done to his body; then Motherboard went rogue, trapping him in eScape, brainwashing him, and he couldn’t get his mind off her words to him.

He had so many questions rushing around in his head, but the one question that really shook him was, “What was he really?” He spent many nights unable to sleep, wondering what was real or not, overwhelmed by his thoughts. Always questions but never answers. Stuck with his doubts. His own mother left him because she knew he was too broken.

It was not the first time he had been in the coma, or had an existential crisis. He could almost feel the missing memories, so close but yet so far away. Had he been a coward for finding a certain joy in deleting his brain? Probably. However, waking up in a basement in Broxton, a year missing of his life, and finding out what happened during this time— what he did…

Sometimes he wondered why they saved him. They could have left him in a vegetative state, they had all the reasons for it after everything he did to them. He knew they’d hated him. He sure hated himself. And wasn’t it the story of his life? His decisions inevitably came back to haunt him and it was far too late to repent. He’d sold his own soul to the devil a long time ago...

He still remembered being in this virtual universe and taking a drink, then another, and another. He had felt it. It had seemed so real. It was like his alcoholism had been thrown in his face, mocking him, tempting him, knowing how weak he truly was. There had been no one he needed attention from this time, no one to save, no world, no friends… Just himself against his inner demons.

He will be forever grateful to Rhodey for saving him that night, catching him before he could fall too far. And then the next day, Rhodey was in his kitchen, waiting for Tony to finish getting ready. No words needed to be said. He was a warm, solid, comforting presence by his side as he accompanied him to an AA meeting.

It was the first step to try to get ahold of himself again.

He had to remember he wasn’t alone as he struggled to make sense of his own life. When he said to Carol he couldn’t be her AA sponsor anymore, she supported Tony without any judgement. She knew what he was going through, had been in his shoes several times. He was lucky to have them in his life.

And not only them, but Janet too. She was a beacon of light in the darkness of life. He had refused to put his own pride above her and accepted to get help, deciding to take the chance to put himself back together instead of continuing his slow descent into hell.

Tony had been in and out of many relationships in his life, but in truth he had only been in love a few times— generally with an unfortunate outcome at the end, because wasn’t that how it always went? None of his relationships ever lasted very long. But there were two persons his thoughts went back to whenever he let himself give in to ‘what if’ scenarios. Two persons who could be called the loves of his life, who his heart told him to be happy with, that it would work— except it wasn’t true. Joanna was the first one. The one who knew him before his accident, before he was Iron Man. They were engaged to be married and when he came back from Vietnam, they began to look for a home together, big enough to start a family of their own. Except he had secrets, he was a different person now and so he pushed her away. When he finally told her the truth, she encouraged Tony, convinced him to use his curse to help other people. But eventually she realized he wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t be both a superhero and a husband for her, the father of her children, and she wouldn’t ask him to choose. He had watched her walk out of his life, heartbroken.

Then there was Rumiko. Their relationship was far from perfect— they broke up and got back together and broke up and so on. It was genuine and complicated, in a way that it’s always complicated when you love someone. There were obstacles in their path that most couples would never face, like the fact he was a superhero. It was a hard love and yet, he couldn’t have imagined being with anyone else. She had been the woman he had wanted to grow old with, the woman he’d been ready to propose… Just before she was killed, because of him.

It’s always because of him.

Tony never thought he would find anyone to love like that again after Rumiko. He felt like his heart had been through too much and was irreparably broken. That there could be no real joy again. He didn’t expect Janet.

Somehow, without seeing it coming, Tony fell in love with her. He fell hard and fast, and was still falling for her every day in a way which was new, different and better from the first time they dated. He had screwed things off back then— there were too many secrets, too many obstacles between each other. It had been the wrong time for this, for them. Yet, despite this bad timing, he had a second chance now and like Jan told him during their first date, the best thing with second chances was that anything could happen. Life was still going on. There was always going to be a new day and a chance to have a new beginning.

The women he had loved before would always hold special places in his heart, but the feeling he felt now was totally different. It was a wonderfully terrifying sensation to love Janet and even more to be loved by her. They just fitted together, in a way that was too easy, that shouldn’t be possible. He had a big fear that if he let himself be happy and simply relax, that something will happen, some terrible thing, like he would lose Janet for good.

Nothing ever stays, nothing ever lasts. He learned that the hard way.

However, she was here when he doubted himself and when he confronted some of his personal demons— actually, he realized Janet had always been by his side constantly, through good times and bad times whether they were friends or lovers. She’d seen him at his worst, as a troubled man, losing the battle against himself, sacrificing his morals, then had seen him at his best, a man taking on the troubles of others, trying to help, trying to do some good, to make up. She had seen Tony’s true colors, and they weren’t very nice but she didn’t turn her back on him.

On the contrary, he and Janet had become closer. It took a lot of work to build a relationship and keep it going but they both found a way to make it work. She loved him enough to carry him on his bad days, and he loved her enough to support her on her rough ones. Ultron’s return had been very upsetting for her, and with good reason. The artificial intelligence had been ruining Janet’s life for almost half of her life with his obsession for her and came back, merged with her ex-husband, to force her to become one with Jocasta. Thankfully, they had finally stopped him and Janet was safe now. He knew it had not only been hard for her but for Nadia too when she realized she couldn’t help them and that her dad was really dead.

It took Tony time, more than he would have liked, but the problem with Sunset and his brother was finally over with the help of his allies. They had been arrested and exposed to the general public, and Stark Unlimited was now safe from any troubles. Well, for the moment. Tony had been so busy cleaning up the mess made by Arno in his company that he had seen very little of Janet at first; but since things had been relatively quiet these last weeks, she had thought it would be a good idea to take some vacation after everything that had happened. She had even threatened to kidnap him if he refused, and useless to say it was the first time he was willing to be kidnapped. Besides, Tony could never say no to her— especially when she had been right; he had really wanted some quality time alone with her without any interference unless it was an absolute emergency. Their only plan during that week was to enjoy every minute of each day.

Gently giving a little push with his feet to start the swing rocking back and forth, Tony let his gaze take in the landscape in front of him while awaiting for Janet to finish her call. It was a view that he never got tired of admiring. The late afternoon sun was beaming down from a golden, blue-sky dotted with wispy white clouds onto the blue, almost transparent water. The beach below was bordered by coconut and kiawe trees, bright-colored flowers and flowering shrubs surrounding an old-fashioned wooden bridge. This was like a little slice of paradise hidden away from the world.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” a voice suddenly whispered close to his ear, catching him off guard. Janet. “Ready to go, or should I let you and your thoughts alone? You seemed to be deep in them.”

He titled his head back so he could look up at her and waggled his eyebrows as he asked, “Envious?” which made her flick Tony’s forehead, grinning in amusement when he yelped, “I was just thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to have you all to myself for a while.” Janet didn’t say a word. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his chest, and buried her face in his neck hugging him close. He lifted a hand and covered hers, holding her hands firmly against his chest. She knew him too well but oddly, it didn't really scare him.

Tony kissed her hair, inhaling deeply the familiar sweet scent of her shampoo— she always smelled so great. They stayed that way for a few minutes. It was absurdly peaceful.

“God, I missed that,” Janet said fondly as soon as they finally broke away.

“We have plenty of time now, don’t we?” he stood up before her and bowed, offering her his arm. “Now come on, Miss Van Dyne. The sunset isn’t gonna wait for us, I’m afraid.”

She slipped her slender hand under his arm, squeezed his forearm and offered him a smile. “Lead on, my dear.”

He led her through the backyard to the bridge connecting the house to the beach. A cool breeze swept in from the ocean, still holding the heat of the day in its breath and caressing their warm skins. The air smelled salty. There was something infinitely calming about the sound of waves crashing in steady on the sandbar.

They spent the first minutes in a comfortable silence, relaxing in the nearness of each other until Tony was the first one to break it, “So how is the kid doing?”

“Oh, Nadia’s doing great! Really well,” Janet replied, her face lighting up. “You know her, she was so busy at the lab with Ying that they lost track of time. She told me to say hi to you.”

“She did?”

Nadia was truly a gem. She was a breath of fresh air, so energetic and enthusiastic about everything. They hanged out sometimes, just the two of them to do science together or, on certain occasions, to watch kid’s movies they both never saw— but for everyone else they were working on a project. A few weeks ago, they had been banished from the kitchen by Jarvis after they used the microwave for some experiment. It had been totally worth it, though. Tony was quite sure he heard Jarvis mumble about the fact he was too old to look out after two mad geniuses.

“Yeah, she hopes you have some free time when we will get back because there is something she wanted to show you.”

“I always have free time for my fellow genius inventor! Besides, we should have a video game night with the kids, I thought it might be fun.”

Janet narrowed her eyes at him, mocking suspicion. “…You want to get revenge, don’t you?”

“I have an infallible plan to beat them!” Tony exclaimed as he stopped dead in his tracks, “and this time not even you will be able to distract me.”

“Oh please, I just put my hand in your hair! Admit you’re bad at racing games.”

“Well, it's a very distracting hand. You know I like it when you play with my hair, honey.”

“I know.” She grinned. “I like it too.”

“And for your information, I am not bad at racing games!” Janet started walking again as he spoke and rolled her eyes. Tony quickly followed along, catching up to her in a couple of steps and started making wild gestures with his hands, trying to prove his point.

During Nadia’s birthday party, Miles, Taina and the birthday girl convinced him to play to Mario Kart with them. Tony had accepted, confident that he had all that he needed to win. However, he quickly became disillusioned by the turn of events… Everyone, even Nadia who played lying upside down on the couch because she kept driving in the wrong direction, beat him! He couldn’t bring himself to be offended when they busted out laughing and instead laughed too, promising that he would take revenge next time.

Ever since Janet had decided to live at Pym’s labs, Tony ended up spending more time there. Sometimes he went to the girls’ movie nights, or had dinners with Jan and Nadia. On a memorable day, they did karaoke together and Bobbi, Janet and him totally killed it! Being surrounded with so many people made him feel great. It reminded Tony of the time the founding Avengers and he lived in the Avengers mansion, when things still seemed simpler. They had been a family. They were a family, with all the problems that came with it. But Tony had always secretly wanted more. Something real and permanent. A house full of life, of joy and laughs… He wanted to love and be loved in return.

If he was honest with himself, he had felt a bit envious of Reed— not for his intelligence or anything, but for his family. He had Sue, who stood by his side even after everything he did, for better and worse, as well as two amazing children. He managed to, somehow, make it work. When Joanna told Tony he couldn’t be a husband, a family man and a superhero, he believed her. Why wouldn’t he? This life was not made for a family one; it was too dangerous, too risky. Yet it didn’t stop him from noticing how around him, others superheroes were getting something he wished.

One night, while Janet and he were laying in the bed a few days after A.I.M attacked the lab, the subject came up in the conversation.

She had to stay strong in front of the girls but once she nestled herself in Tony’s warm arms, Janet found herself confiding her feelings about this night. It had been like a nightmare coming true; she felt guilty for failing to protect the persons she loved, the kids under her protection. It was something Tony understood, he shared the same haunting fear of not being able to do something to prevent his loved ones from being injured or worse, killed. He knew he didn’t have to be afraid for Janet —she was a superhero, and a good damn one— but that didn’t stop him from worrying about her. She admitted that the idea of having kids in the super hero life terrified her, and so she never really wanted one of her own. Of course Janet didn’t expect Nadia, but she would not regret for a second having her in her life. She was so happy to be a maternal figure to Nadia, both very quickly developed a strong bond.

Furthermore, it was not a definitive ‘no’. Life is full of surprises, Janet said, adding that at the right time, with the right person, it might be possible. They broached the subject of adoption and she had been interested by the idea. This discussion made them both realize how increasingly close they had become in the past few months.

Tony respected her decision, whether or not she would change her mind in the future. He had made peace with this a long time ago when he chose to be Iron Man, and every relationship was a two-way street. His desire for a child was no stronger than his love for Janet. Besides, he was quite happy to just be present for the young superheroes. He kept in touch with Riri, Anya and Cassie and whenever he had some free time he would hang out with Doreen, Nadia or Lila, or take Kamala, Miles and Sam out to eat. They all knew he was always here for them every time they needed him, whether it was to just help with homework or some bad guy. He also continued to fund orphanages and visit them. Tony could spend hours in the nursery, just hugging babies and feeding them, or playing with the older children. More than once he came home with glitter on his clothes and tousled hair. Occasionally, he would do chemistry experiments with them and others fun activities; it warmed his heart like summer sun to see all their smiling faces looking at him.

Janet was aware of his whereabouts and he cherished the moment at the end of the day when they could talk over their entire day and share their thoughts together in the bedroom before going to sleep.

They walked hand in hand toward the setting sun, barefoot on the warm and soft sand until they found a nice spot and sat down side by side, Janet’s legs over his. His thumb absently stroked her thigh, drawing lazing circles over her bared flesh as they watched the waves roll in and the sun play games with the shade as it faded in and out. Tony loved the contrast between her soft skin and the rough calluses on his hand.

"I’ve always adored watching sunsets since I was a child. Look at the way the clouds are lit up, it's so beautiful," Janet mused, gazing at the landscape.

He hummed, but instead of looking at the sky, Tony was staring at Jan with a loving gaze. She was so stunning.

"You know what else is beautiful?" He asked, his smile turning into a mischievous grin as he faced his girlfriend. She looked at him with a soft gaze, eyebrows raised. "Me," he finished. Janet’s eyes widened in surprise and she let out a real, spontaneous laugh, shaking her head at his joke. He gasped, pretending to be hurt. “If I didn’t know you as well as I do, I’d think you are jealous right now.”

"I think it is better if I ignore that comment, don’t you think?” she said, leaning in for a kiss. “I definitively can't argue with the first part, though.” They connected and held it for a few seconds, feeling each other’s soft lips, before releasing.

“If I told you that you are the most gorgeous woman that I had ever laid eyes on, would that make you feel better?”

“Mmm, it’s much better,” agreed Janet, rubbing her nose against the skin behind Tony’s ear.

“And totally true, you grow more beautiful every day I see you. What’s your secret?”

“I guess that’s because I’m so happy.”

Her quiet admission caught Tony off guard but the vehement truth of her words sang as loud as the wind across the sea. It took him a moment to gather his wits before he answered, “You do realize how cheesy you sound, right?”

She snorted and said, “Shut up, I can be romantic sometimes too!”

Tony didn’t know what took hold of his mind and possessed him to say out loud what might quite possibly be the most foolish thing he had ever said.

Maybe it was the way Jan’s brilliant blue eyes were staring at him, the delight and love shining in them. Maybe it was because she always made his heart skip a beat, and sometimes he wondered if someone else in the room could hear it because he knew he could. Maybe it was because of her sharp mind.

Or maybe it was the way she snorted when he said something stupid, or how he felt when she was smiling. Maybe it was because of the warmth of her hand on his forearm. Maybe it was because she was still with him even after everything that had happened. Maybe it was because Tony was stupidly in love with her or maybe it was just Janet, really. It could be any number of these things, all of them, that made him—

“Can I marry you?”

—say something he totally didn’t want to blurt out.

Janet blinked at him. She was looking equally surprised at the words coming out of his stupid mouth.

Quickly he stood up and started to pace back and forth, running his hand through his hair and looking totally freaked out. The moment the words were out he wished he had swallowed them.

And God, Tony was such an idiot. You don’t do things by half, do you Stark?

She blinked again, trying to assimilate what he had just said, “What?”

Tony had come to the realization he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Janet, but had been afraid of giving her too much of himself. They hadn’t even been together for a year! Thus, he had tried to take it slow, tried to not let his feelings bleed onto her because he was sure she was not ready for them.

It wasn’t supposed to go this way at all.

“Did you mean it?” Jan asked when it became apparent Tony wasn’t going to say anything else, “Do you really want to marry me, Tony?”

The sound of her voice stopped him cold and he turned to face her as she approached, “Yes. No! I mean— I do want to marry you,” he sputtered quickly. “But I am not asking asking, you know? That would involve a candlelight dinner, fireworks, some violins or piano and a ring… Not that I actually imagined it—” Janet stood on her tiptoes and pressed a finger over his lips, silencing him.

“Because I think—no, I know—that the answer would be yes.”

“What?” now it was his turn to be surprised, “You… want to marry me?”

“I would like that very much,” she smiled at him and bit her bottom lip.

“Oh,” an unexpected surge of warmth flooded his heart. There was something terrifying about committing yourselves to a love that extends beyond the present and yet here she was, feeling exactly the same. Somehow Janet loved him as much as Tony loved her. “I— I’m very, very lucky to have you in my life Jan. And I would be even luckier if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife,” he began, his voice hoarse with emotion. “This is not as good as you deserve, I am not as good as you deserve but I’ve never been so sure of anything before. Except for how much I love you. You’re everything good in the world. I’m scared, though. I feel as this is too good to be true and I am going to wake up and find that this has been some crazy dream. I’m scared of losing you, of ruining what we have or that something might happen to you.”

“Life is full of risks, Tony. It's impossible to predict the future with any real accuracy but I’m here, right now, and whatever happens, always remember how much I love you mon chéri. We've known each other for so long, been through so much together... I had never thought of remarrying again after Hank but you make me feel in a way I didn’t ever think I would feel again. You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I don’t want better. I only want you.”

Tony’s life had been one long series of close calls and for once he refused to miss the slightest chance of happiness because of his doubts. She was his friend, his teammate, his partner, his lover, the one for him. He knew it.

And he’ll do his damnedest to be half the man she deserved.

He cleared his throat. “Then let’s make it formal,” taking a deep breath, Tony went down on one knee and took her hand in his. He noticed her face was beaming with excitement, her eyes shining. “Janet Van Dyne, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes I will.”

He barely had time to get up when Janet threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up off the sand, spinning her around and around in circles as he gave Janet a long, tight hug. He felt laughter building up in his chest until he couldn’t keep it in any longer and she joined his laughter. As he slowed down and their laugher dried up, she grabbed his face between her two hands and their lips met in a long, passionate kiss full of promise. Every feeling he had was transmitted to her through it. When they finally drew apart, flushed and breathless, Tony put her back on her feet but didn’t let her go, dropping his hands to her hips. He closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Remember when we went to the beach together all these years ago and you wrote something in the sand?”

He nodded, “Toujours l’amour, in a heart. I actually remember.”

“When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me that if you wrote wishes in the sand and the ocean take them away, it would come true.”

“Does it work?”

“I guess we will have to wait and see,” Janet reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm, gently stroking her thumb along his cheekbone, “but I think we are off to a good start.”

She kissed him gently, first on his lips, then his cheeks, eyelids, nose, forehead, before returning to his mouth. She was so gentle it made him anxious. He didn’t deserve such tenderness but Janet seemed to be determined to prove him wrong.

“I know a great way to celebrate that,” she added after a moment, letting go of Tony’s hand and taking several steps back.

Once she was at a safe distance, Janet began slowly to undo the knot of her red summer dress, the strip of cloth slipping away and exposing miles of flawless smooth skin without a single tan line. She slid the straps of her clothing off her shoulders and let it fall on the floor. The view took his breath away.

She stood there in front of him, wearing only her black lace panties, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

For a long minute Tony said nothing and just kept staring blankly at her. He noticed how the last sunlight reflected off Janet, given her an almost transcendent, godlike appearance; her skin was glowing with a golden light and her brown hair were blown by the wind off the ocean, shimmering with auburn flecks as the sun beat down on her.

Tony suddenly felt the urge to kiss her, to be holding her. “You’re killing me, Jan.”

He found himself walking towards her, ripping off his shirt and shorts in the process.

“I gotta keep you on your toes. Also—” Janet’s gaze and attention lingered on his underwear and she raised an eyebrow, “really?”

“Hey,” Tony exclaimed, putting on an incredibly sexy pout. “I know you like when I wear them,” he theatrical turned on himself to show off his red thong.

“Touché, sweet cheeks,” she replied, looking at him with appreciation as he struck a particularly victorious and sexy pose.

“Did you just call me sweet cheeks?”

“I did, hope you’re not offended by that.”

“No I am not, thank you for noticing how sweet my cheeks are,” Janet chuckled, slowly moving away from him when Tony tried to reach out for her. “What are you planning in that pretty mind of yours?”

She winked, teasing him, before sprinting right into the sea. Tony folded his arms and shook his head in astonishment, the smile stretching his lips wide as he fixed his eyes on Janet while she dove under the waves and swam beneath the surface for a while. She emerged on the calmer side and turned toward Tony, yelling happily with her arms raised in the air. Without further ado, he quickly sprinted after her until the water reached his thighs and then jumped to join Janet. The cool water felt good against his skin, refreshing. When his head broke the surface, he heard her laugh before he saw her.

He swam toward Janet in long, powerful strokes until he was by her side and pulled her close, “Did you really have to run away from me? I thought we were celebrating.”

“Oh come on, we both know foreplay will only make it better.”

“Uh-huh.”

Tony kissed Janet thoroughly, lazily, as if he had a lifetime of kisses to look forward to. Then he surprised her and curved his hands around her waist, lifting her easily. With her arms outstretched, she gripped his shoulders and her head titled backward to absorb the view. Watching her vibrant smiling face, he felt a happiness he had not known in years. The sky’s golden lights had been slowly rolled by the purple-pink hands of twilight and wrapped them in a romantic fairy-like atmosphere. He will never forget how glorious Janet looked that evening.

It’s only the force of an incoming wave that jarred them both out of the moment as it pushed Tony forward and made him lose his grip on Janet. Immediately, she wrapped her legs around him to keep balance and loosely placed her arms around his neck while he cupped her upper thighs in his hands. All of a sudden, a bad idea crossed his mind.

“Honey, you know that I love you, right?”

“I think we established this fact, yes.”

“Please don’t forget that.”

“Wha—”

He gave her a playful smile and then mildly tossed her across the water. He was going to take to the grave the scream she let out at this moment.

After a few seconds Janet returned to the surface, coughing and shaking her head to push her loose wet hair out of her face. Looking right into his eyes, she pointed her finger hard against his chest several times and hissed like a cat, “You stupid!”

“I’m so sorry,” he giggled, unable to keep a straight face, “but your face was priceless!”

She reached out and pinched his nipple. Tony laughed even more, leaned over and kissed her outraged face.

“I hope I’m not supposed to be upset because it kind of turned me on.”

“You’re gonna pay for that,” Janet replied and couldn’t help but smile. She hit the water surface with her hand, sending a wild splash toward Tony’s face.

They didn’t notice the passing of time as they splashed each other like children, trying to duck and push the other until they were out of breath. As he was floating on his back, Janet abruptly trotted out of the water and Tony ran after her. Although she was pretty fast when she wanted, he quickly caught her up and seized her around the waist, not even making it back to where they had dumped their clothes. Screaming cheerfully, Janet struggled, causing him to overbalance. Gently, Tony took her down with him, slipping his arms around Janet as they tumbled down onto the sand, three steps out of the water.

She rolled on top of him, pinning him against the soft sand. He took this opportunity to lick the salty sweetness from the swell of her breasts, kissing a path along her collarbone up to the column of her delicious throat until she put her right hand on the back of his head and leaned in, her mouth catching his in a frenzy of deep, hungry kisses. Janet shivered, and satisfaction roared through him. Tony held her tighter when quiet waves washed against their bodies, surprising both of them and bringing her body closer to his. He could feel her breasts rubbing gloriously against his chest and he moaned, his hips pushing and grinding against hers. Tony loved her weight on him.

Their tongues tangled— dancing, dueling, daring each other while his caressing hands reached the top of her thighs and Janet’s fingers were sliding into his hair, tugging lightly. It felt like electricity shot through his whole being. He kissed her like he wanted to devour, his whole body shifted towards Janet. He wanted to touch and adore every inch of her, and not stop until they were unconscious.

“I think it’s time to go back inside,” he gushed, reluctantly breaking their kiss. “Sex on the beach is way less sexy than it sounds.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“Believe me, I learned from my mistakes.”

She giggled and they both took a few deep breaths to calm themselves down before Jan got to her feet first and offered her hand to help Tony up. They grabbed their clothes and left hastily the beach arms wrapped around each other, exchanging whispered promises and hushed laughs.

Things were gonna happen, it was just a fact of life. But for now, he would rest securely in the arms of the woman he loved and enjoy this tiny bubble of peace. He couldn’t change what the future may hold, however he knew he wanted Jan in it and he was willing to do whatever it took not to lose what meant the most to him in this world.

“Can we agree to avoid some details when we will let people know we are engaged?”

“You mean, the fact you didn’t have a ring or the part where you asked me if you could marry me?”

“Janet!”

“I’m messing with you but, Tony, it’s us. It’s perfect. It could’ve been awful, and it would still be perfect,” she reassured him. Janet turned to face him as they finally entered the house, “I’ll clean your back if you clean mine?”

“Now that’s a deal I can’t turn down.”