"Yup." I looked up at him, basking in his soft smile. He was so incredibly handsome. "You took away my ability to speak. Just be glad I'm able to remember how to breathe at this point."
I cleaned myself up and chucked the washcloth at the bathroom door. He joined me on the bed, pulling the two of us up to the pillows. The room was hot from our activities so I didn't need a blanket. He was warmer than a blanket anyway.
I cuddled into the nook of his shoulder, feeling his heart pound against my cheek. The fact that he was still breathing hard, still excited, was a huge turn on. It must have been good for him too.
I could barely believe this was real. Tony and I were going to be married. We were going to be together, and the b
est part was that he was going to live.
"What other wonderful things are going to happen in the future?" Tony asked, his hand stroking my arm as we cuddled, our bodies touching at every possible junction.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said, thinking about the internet and smart phones. "But, with you, everything is going to be better."
He kissed the top of my head, smoothing my mussed hair with his fingers when he finished. "If it gets better than this, then I have died and gone to heaven."
"No dying required this time," I said softly.
"You're right," he agreed, his breathing slowing as he drifted off to sleep. "This time, I get to bring heaven to you."
I smiled. He was right. This was heaven.
Epilogue
Present Day
For the second time
I pick up the mail and recognize one of the envelopes. It's an invitation to my friend Rachel's wedding. I can't believe that it's already been twenty years. Twenty wonderful, perfect years. I say a silent thank you to Diana and Fountain as I walk inside.
"Anything good in the mail?" my husband asks as I walk into the living room. He's still as handsome to me as the day we ran away together. Maybe even more. He has aged like a fine wine, and I find the gray in his hair sexy as hell. It makes him look distinguished.
"It's an invitation to Rachel and Dean's wedding." I hand him the envelope.
"Did you go last time?" he asks, breaking the seal. I shake my head no.
"I never even sent the RSVP."
"Well, you probably should this time," he tells me with a gentle smile. I stick my tongue out at him. "Hmmm, it's in the States. You can go if you want."
I snuggle next to him on the couch and look at the invitation. "Nah, we can just send a nice gift. Weddings are no fun without you."
He kisses my head, and I lean against his shoulder. This is the life I had wanted. This was the life I wanted to share with him from the moment I met him. Even though it wasn't quite what most people might imagine, it is perfect for us. We have a beautiful house in Costa Rica, and even though my Tony can never return to the United States, we have everything we could ever want.
"I was afraid I was going to ruin their story by changing ours," I say quietly. To this day, I still take Diana's warning about changing time seriously. "I'm glad they still found each other."
Tony squeezes me closer to him. He's still as strong as when we first met. He smiles at the invitation, his eyes going distant as he remembers.
"Do you remember how nervous I was at our wedding?" he asks. I laugh.
"You almost said the wrong words!" I tease him. I've never let him live it down. It had been terribly beautiful and sweet to see him so nervous. It was rare to ever see him even bat an eyelash at things that would send most people screaming.
"You were so gorgeous I couldn't think straight!" he responds, laughing gently. "I forgot half of what I wanted to say because I couldn't stop staring. You still do that to me, you know."
I blush. "Would you still marry me again?"
"In a heartbeat, Ladybug," he says without hesitation, and I know he means it. He means it every time.
"You'd still run away with me?" I ask.