The Angel and The Billionaire

chapter 51

Tony

It's been 4 days and I haven't talked to Steve. In my defense, life has been hectic around here. Sharon and Rogers got engaged the night Grace and I made our plan, therefore we couldn't put it into action. The following day they decided to throw an engagement party. And two days ago Edward decided to strike again.

Somehow he got the contact information of a bunch of mob bosses and criminals that Barton clashed with throughout his years at SHIELD. One of the mobs tried to attack his house but they didn't know Laura is a trained agent and the surprise element plus her skillset were enough to ensure all the little Bartons made it out alive. Yesterday everyone was fussing over them, especially baby Nathaniel, so I didn't speak to Steve.

Right now everyone is gathered in the meeting room in another round of failing to track down Edward. Laura and Grace are taking care of the kids, watching cartoons in the living room. Lila was livid when Grace said she didn't know what Toy Story was so the kid insisted on showing her.

- This is useless. - Barton states, keeping his eyes on the glass walls. We can see the living room from here. - The agent Nat and Bucky interviewed last week didn't say anything?

- Nothing we don't already know. - Barnes pinches the bridge of his nose, frustration visible on his whole face. - Maybe we need to try a different approach.

- What do you suggest? - Sharon lifts her eyes from the file in her hands.

- Maybe... - The way he's stalling and avoiding eye contact with Rogers means this is a bad idea. - We could talk to Zemo.

- Have you lost your mind? - Steve and Sam ask in unison with wide eyes and big frowns.

- I don't know. - He grumbles, rubbing his face. - But we don't have anything better, do we?

They start arguing but I tune out, Nathaniel started crying which led Grace to walk with him. They pass the meeting room and even though she doesn't look up from the baby in her arms, I can't look anywhere else. He's a cute baby, I guess. I don't know much about them. Is it something she wants? To have kids? More importantly, to have kids with me?

- It's settled. - Steve affirms and I force myself to pay attention as we work out the details for Barnes to visit Zemo in the raft tomorrow.

Rogers looks so damn stressed about this whole prison thing that Grace texts me an hour after the meeting to postpone my conversation with him one more day. It's frustrating but I know she's right, telling him about us while he's worried is suicide.

The whole day is messy, filled with cartoons with the kids, some wedding talk and a lot of stories I'll use to mess with Barton for the rest of my life. I also called Peter to make sure he didn't see or hear anything suspicious but he promised he'd contact me the second anything weird happened.

Grace is already asleep when I enter my room but the door closing wakes her up.

- Hey... - She yawns, sitting up and stretching both arms in the air. It's getting cold now so she's wearing the winter pajamas they gave her in Wakanda. The fabric is soft and adaptable to any weather but she normally uses my clothes when it's not cold. Says they smell nice.

- Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. - I lean down to kiss her before changing into sleepwear. - Did the kids tire you out?

- A little. - She chuckles. - Lila wants me to watch something called 'The Lion King'. Clint said it's Hamlet as a cartoon and I'm really curious to see how they made something like that kid friendly.

- Disney has their own kind of magic. - I turn off the lights and lay down next to her, pulling her to my chest. - But did you have fun?

- Definitely. - She smiles, her fingers tracing circles in my arm and shoulder. - I still can't believe Laura managed to fight off 8 mob members while taking care of 3 kids. One who can't even walk properly. It sounds terrifying.

- Tell me about it. Imagine if she wasn't a former agent, this would've ended very differently.

- And she didn't seem shaken up at all. - Grace tenses for a second. - Like, her house was attacked two days ago but she was telling me and Lila about her wedding night. She's strong.

- Laura strikes me as the type who holds herself together in public but falls apart when she's alone. - This is hypothetical but it makes sense in my head. - I think giving her space to talk about the good things is probably the best. Clint can handle whatever else happens.

- I guess you have a point, it's his husband duty. - A small smile crosses her lips. - Laura told me about their wedding, how they rented a farm and there was a hurricane. The storm ruined most of the photos but she still claims it was perfect.

- Well, that's cute. - I pause, not sure if I should bring this up right now. - Would you like that?

- What?

- Getting married on a farm.

Grace lifts her head from my chest, a tiny hint of shock in her eyes. I can't blame her, I was also surprised by the way my mind wandered while watching the Bartons.

- I don't know. - She avoids eye contact and looks down, resting her chin on my chest. - It's not my style I suppose, bugs and all that.

- What is your style, angel? - I put a strain of hair behind her ear, carefully watching every micro-expression to make sure I didn't freak her out.

- Well.. - She hesitates, cheeks catching fire in the absolute cutest way. - There was this wedding I saw on tv once, while I was in Wakanda. Okoye got me a few American channels to pass time. It was in an abandoned castle outside of Paris.

- An abandoned castle?

- Not like the Buckingham, much smaller. - Her eyes shine as she tells me the details, the ballroom, a big garden, everything a wedding needs. - It had vines covering the walls and the sunlight entering through the stained glass made it look....

I can't hold the grin, watching her talk about things she likes is like seeing a computer program run smoothly: orgasmically satisfying.

- You think it's stupid.. - She lowers her head, the redness in her cheeks intensifying. I put my hand on her chin, forcing her gaze to meet mine.

- I think it's adorable.

- Idiot. - She rolls her eyes, smiling brightly. - What about you?

- As long as you're the one walking towards me in the aisle I don't really care. - I kiss her, hearing the loud thumps of her heart. Is this a surprise for her? - I like the castle though. But Happy will have to officiate it.

- Not a complaint but why?

- Rhodes is the best man and if Happy doesn't get a title he'll get sad. - Yes, I did in fact made a plan while listening to Rogers talk to his wedding organizer. - Sharon's the maid of honor, Wanda, Ayo and Okoye are the bridesmaids.

- You really thought this through.

- Absolutely. - I hold one of her hands. - What about kids? How do you feel about that?

- That's complicated. - Grace continues to trace circles on my skin, an indicator of her feeling nervous. - I think biologically they're not an option because I'd never pass forward the serum and all that.

- Understandable. - I nod and she relaxes a little. - But...

- One day, when there's no more Edward and everyone knows we're together I'd like to adopt. - My heart jumps. She wants to have kids with me. Shit, I won the fucking lottery. - Siblings, you know, those the system tries to separate.

- Seems like we have a plan. - I pull her hand and kiss her knuckles, looking at her ring finger intently.

Not tonight, surely. But soon. Grace Mae Stark. I like the way it sounds.