I groaned slightly as I woke up. I stretched, finding Rhodey right next to me. He shifted when he felt me wake up.
"Hey," he rasped in a morning voice.
I hummed. "Hey. How'd you sleep?"
"Good," Rhodey replied. "You slept on me for most of it."
I laughed as I yawned into Rhodey's shoulder. "Sorry about that. I was tired."
"It's a good thing I love you," Rhodey said. "I wouldn't have tolerated it otherwise."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I don't want to do anything today."
"I have a lunch meeting." Rhodey kissed my forehead. "I love you."
I breathed in. "I love you too. Will you be back in time for our ring date?"
"I will," Rhodey replied. "It should only last the length of lunch. I won't forget the food trucks either."
"I wouldn't let you."
Rhodey smiled. "I don't doubt it."
My fingers traced his jawline. "What's for breakfast?"
"Tony said he'd make it." Rhodey checked his phone. "He just texted saying he's almost done."
I hummed, shifting closer to Rhodey. "We should probably head down then."
"It would be a pity if we didn't make it on time." Rhodey got up. "I'm going to get dressed."
I whined and tugged at Rhodey's arm. He laughed and pulled away. I laid in bed for a few more minutes, watching Rhodey getting dressed with half of my face in the pillow. Rhodey definitely had a good body. I got up when he was almost done with changing. I was done with it within a few minutes.
Rhodey fixed his collar. "Are you ready?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm starving."
We went downstairs to find Tony finishing up the breakfast. He greeted us and pulled me into a hug. I hugged back as I grabbed a plate. I filled it up with food and sat down with my men. I had a good time sitting with my two guys. I loved them both with all my heart.
I helped Tony clean up while Rhodey got ready for his meeting. I was messing around with Tony when Rhodey came in.
He kissed my cheek. "I'll see you later when I pick you. Don't bother dressing up. You look fine the way you look. Love you."
"I love you too, baby," I replied.
Rhodey walked off, Tony tapping my arm as he left the room.
"What?" I asked.
"You should put a ring on it," Tony said.
"I already am." I handed him a wet plate. "We're going ring shopping later today after his meeting. It's going to be like a date night kind of thing."
Tony set a clean plate aside. "You want to know what the ring looks like?"
I handed him a new one. "I want to know everything except when he's going to propose. I'm kinda a detail-orientated kind of person and I don't like surprises. I guess it's something that Dad taught me growing up."
"I've noticed you've been calling Nick by Dad recently," Tony commented. "Why is that?"
I shrugged. "It might be because he left so suddenly and I didn't get to say goodbye. He raised me and I never got to say thank you. I was so resistant to calling him Dad because he wasn't around often. But after SHIELD collapsed and Dad disappeared, I realized he was trying to raise me the best he could with all he had and the time he had. He loved me with his heart and I was wrong for doubting it. I had finally accepted that he's my dad."
"He talked about you a lot when you weren't around," Tony said. "He really loved you. He had a baby picture of you on his desk. I think you were about six-years-old."
"Do you know where it is?"
Tony took out his wallet and opened it, pulling out several pictures of me growing up. One of them was on the day I was adopted by Nick.
"Nick gave me several to give you when I saw you again. He'd want to keep a few to remember you of course but he wanted you to remember your childhood."
I smiled and pointed at the six-year-old me. "That was me on the day that Dad adopted me."
Tony pointed at the picture of four-year-old me. "This one is a younger you though."
"Dad was at a wedding that some orphans were taken to by one of the caretakers," I replied. "I barely remember that night but I remember Dad being there. He danced with me and he made me laugh so hard. I loved that night."
"Do you think he'll make it to the wedding?" Tony asked.
I pulled out my wallet to put the pictures away. "Oh for sure. I don't think I even need to send an invitation. He'll find out when it is. I won't worry about it."
Tony shook his head. "Nick has the best daughter in the entire world. If only I had a kid like you."
I smiled. "You never know. You might have a girl one day and she'll be great. Especially if she has a father like you."
Tony shoved my shoulder. I laughed, bumping into him. We finished cleaning up and we went into the lab together. We worked on a few of Tony's creations and hung out. Tony's stuff was really fun to create. He had a lot of stuff laying around that he needed help fixing and he knew not many people that could do it.
I laid back on one of the tables. Tony leaned against the table next to me. We sat there in silence for a few minutes. We hadn't had time to relax all day. My phone started ringing before I could say anything.
I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, baby," Rhodey greeted. "I'm about twenty to thirty minutes away from the Tower. Are you almost ready?"
I checked the time as I sat up. "Yeah, I'll be ready by then."
"You haven't gotten ready yet?" Rhodey asked. "I texted you a few times."
I got off the counter. "I was working with Tony and had my phone on silent. I'll be ready, don't worry."
"Okay," Rhodey said. "I'll see you soon."
I hung up and looked at Tony. "I have to go get dressed." I kissed his cheek. "I'll come back down when I can."
Tony squeezed my arm as I walked off. I went to my room and started getting ready. I did my hair and put on a new pair of clothes. I slipped on a blue plaid pleated skirt and a long-sleeved sweater.
I was pulling on my shoes when Rhodey texted me he was here. I grabbed my purse, phone, and a hairtye as I walked out. Rhodey was parked outside waiting. I got in and kissed Rhodey on his check.
Rhodey pulled away from the curb. "You look cute, babe."
I put my phone in my bag. "Thanks. I haven't worn this skirt in a long time. I didn't think it would look good on me."
Rhodey placed a hand on my thigh. "You look good in anything."
I started braiding my hair. "I know. That's why I have such a good fashion sense."
"That's debatable."
I smacked Rhodey's leg, causing him to laugh. "I hate you so much, James Rhodes."
"Oh, you're pulling out the full name now?" Rhodey laughed. "I must be in a lot of trouble."
I laughed. "Shut up. What ring store are we going to?"
"It's nearby," Rhodey replied. "I can't remember the name but you'll recognize it."
"I don't want an expensive ring," I replied. "I don't have much money since SHIELD came down."
"I'll pay for it," Rhodey said. "And if you argue, don't. I'm going to do it whether or not you like it or not."
I rested my head against his shoulder. "I love you."
Rhodey smiled. "I love you too, babe."
We arrived at the place and Rhodey opened the door for me. I was immediately drawn to the display and stared at the stunningly beautiful rings. Rhodey followed, watching my awestricken face. I slowed my pace when I got to the blue rings. Blue was my favorite color. I stopped at a ring that was the most beautiful. It had a silver halo around a blue gem. The band was silver and it had little sparkly gems on it.
I pointed at it. "That one, Rhodey. I want that one."
Rhodey nodded, calling the clerk over. He bought the ring I wanted and one similar for him. It was a silver band with a few gems on it. We had them sized and we got into the car with our rings.
We went to the food trucks next and got food. After finding a tree to sit under, we started eating. It was a reminder of the beginning of our relationship.
Halfway through the meal, I took off my heels. I curled my toes in the grass, the wind gently passing over my bare skin. I looked up from my feet to watch the people around me. I hadn't been able to watch people in a long time.
"You're beautiful, Charlie," Rhodey complimented. "You're one of my favorite people in the world. You remind me that there is good in the world."
I smiled as I chewed. "I love that. I'd hate it if I wasn't."
Rhodey kissed my cheek, causing me to jerk away. Taking my food away to set them aside, he pinned me down and I started laughing, struggling very weakly. Rhodey got in between my legs and kissed me. I stopped laughing and wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss got slow and deepened.
I pulled away, our faces still close. "Our food is getting cold."
Rhodey started kissing my jawline. "And?"
I shoved him away, smiling. "Stop. There are people around."
Rhodey smiled as he pulled away. He hesitated between my legs before moving away. I grabbed my food and began eating again. We returned to sitting in the grass, cuddled up against each other.
Once we finished our food, I laid my legs across Rhodey's lap and rested my head on his shoulder. His braces were on under his pants but I could still feel them.
I gently rubbed his thigh. "How is your therapy going?"
"Good," Rhodey replied. "I should be done in a few weeks."
I rubbed his shoulder. "That's amazing! Are your braces working?"
Rhodey felt his braces. "Yeah, I love them. Tony and you did an amazing job on them."
I brushed my fingers across Rhodey's temple. "You're welcome. We tried to make the best for our man."
Rhodey leaned in. "That's nice of you. Do you think we could head back? I've got an idea for us."
I smiled. "Does it involve ice cream?"
Rhodey laughed, pulling away. "Maybe." He held out his hand. "What do you say, princess?"
I took his hand. "Of course, baby."
We got up and returned home. I went up to my room to put my stuff away. Rhodey followed and grabbed my ass when I bent over. I cried out in surprise and turned around to smack Rhodey. He grabbed my hand and pulled me in, kissing me. I kissed back, holding onto him tightly.
Rhodey's hands traveled down and grabbed my ass. I inhaled sharply as he continued to hold them. My hands traveled down and started undoing his belt. Rhodey did the same for my skirt and pulled it off completely. He bent down a little to pick me up, breaking the kiss to do so. Rhodey tossed me on the bed and got in between my legs, pulling down his pants as he did so.
"Do you want this?" Rhodey asked.
"Yes, I do."
Rhodey laid on top of me, pecking my lips. "I'll make sure it's worth it, babe."