Shadowplay | Tony Stark

SIXTY EIGHT - PERMISSION

"Hey, sorry I'm so late, I got caught up in traffic coming out of the city. Did you get my- oh my god."

It was the following evening and Mila was just finishing up at work for the day when Carly walked into the salon. She had taken the day off but needed to call in to drop off some supplies, a hasty apologetic look on her face that was quickly replaced by shock when she immediately noticed the large ring on her friend's left hand.

Last night had been the best nights sleep Mila had gotten in the past seven months. The bed was warm with Tony back beside her and the baby seemed settled, giving their mother an easier night than usual without kicking her ribs and pressing down on her organs.

Mila cuddled her pregnancy pillow to ease the weight of her bump, but Tony refused to take his hands off of her, sleeping the entire eight hours with his arm around her waist and face pressed against her shoulders. He hadn't slept much that week being away from her, though that night he'd drifted off within seconds once they crawled into bed together, everything in the world feeling right again.

It had been a mountain of a task to leave the warmth of her bed and Tony's body that morning, but Mila got showered and dressed, leaving her fiancée with a gentle kiss on his lips as he started his morning a little slower, still having a half hour before Tristan needed to be woken up.

Mila hadn't mentioned her engagement to anybody that day at work, though every single client had commented on her ring as soon as they noticed, which led to her gladly sharing the story of her engagement from the night before.

It seemed crazy to Mila to be talking about her fiancée, to answer questions about weddings and children, and part of her still found it crazy to even talk about Tony. She had gone from being a single mother of one child to an expectant fiancée of three in the space of two years, and while that was a crazy timeline to think about, Mila wouldn't have changed a thing.

"Last night," Mila grinned, her eyes beaming with excitement as she watched the happiness reflect on Carly's face, "I'm gonna marry him, Carls, can you believe that?"

Carly and Mila had spent hours over the years talking about the fantasy of true love and it had hurt Carly to watch her friend's enthusiasm for the idea diminish in her early twenties.

Having a child and losing a partner had no doubt been a colossal knock to not only Mila's self confidence, but her belief in the goodness the world held, too. Carly had heard the way Mila scoffed at the idea of finding love after having Tristan, the way she joked about nobody being interested in a single mother and and pain she masked with humour about being fine with the idea of being alone for the rest of her life.

Mila was a selfless person and anybody that had the pleasure of knowing her was well aware of the kindness her pure soul radiated into the world. Carly knew her friend and co-worker was a strong enough woman to cope with life by herself, but she knew deep down that one day, a man that was enough for her would change her outlook on the world. She knew that a man with intentions as good as her's and a heart just as golden would manage to carve out a place for himself amongst the desolation and disregard, turning an empty wasteland into a flourishing garden of delicacy and devotion.

Tony Stark had been that man.

Mila's smile was radiant and her eyes were too, her warm soul seemingly pouring itself out through her uncontainable delight. Carly wasn't sure she'd ever seen Mila so happy before, so cheerful and so excited about something to do with herself. Mila had always been supportive and happy for other people's achievements, but it made Carly overjoyed to see Mila experiencing the happiness she deserved.

"Come here," Carly pulled her friend into a tight hug, "I'm so happy for you, Mila. You deserve to have the most wonderful life, I can't wait to watch you live it."