"Melanie! How was your flight? Let me take your coat."
Tony immediately jumped to his feet when Mila and her mother walked through the door in the early evening of December 22nd.
He had offered to pick Melanie up from the airport himself but Mila insisted she make the drive that afternoon, having to do a quick run to a toy store to pick up some more Christmas presents for Tristan on her way.
Snow had been falling across their town for the past two weeks and although some rain had washed the white away, it had settled perfectly over the last three days, leaving a perfect blanket covering the fields and trees that surrounded their home.
"Thank you, honey," Melanie said, shrugging off her coat and handing it to Tony, "It wasn't too bad, the free wine helped. Come here, it's so good to see you again."
Melanie smiled widely and opened her arms for a hug, Tony pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks as he smiled back. Although he hadn't spent a whole lot of time with Melanie, the two had bonded quickly and Tony felt more than comfortable around her, a motherly warmth putting him at ease from the moment they met.
The fire was burning and the lights wrapped around the Christmas tree twinkled softly in the corner of the living room, a cinnamon scented candle burned on the mantelpiece and the scent of freshly baked cookies drifted through from the kitchen. The television was showing The Grinch though Tony had been the only person watching it, Tristan had disappeared upstairs to play in his room and Peter had been talking on FaceTime to his friends back in New York upstairs, too.
Mila's skin was pale apart from a red heat in her cheeks from the cold outside. Her hair was down that day and curled around her face, black mascara coating her lashes and a clear gloss on her lips with a shine that matched the one in her eyes.
"God you look freezing, come here."
Tony grabbed Mila and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her body and running his hands up and down her back as he felt how cold she actually was. She sighed happily and touched his face, smiling up at him before giving him a gentle kiss, feeling warmer as soon as his lips touched her own.
A set of footsteps pulled them apart and the couple turned with rosy cheeks to glance up at the stairs, seeing Peter walking down them with a weary smile on his face as he pulled out his earphones.
"I thought I heard voices," he said shyly, lingering at the foot of the stairs.
"Mom," Mila walked over to her mother's side and placed a hand on her shoulder, "This is-"
"Peter," Melanie's eyes lit up as she looked over at the boy, grinning from ear to ear as she walked over to him, "I've heard so much about you, I'm so happy to have another grandson."
Melanie wasted no time in giving Peter a huge hug and Mila watched with a content smile, noticing the way Peter's eyes changed from shock to comfort at the sudden shower of affection from somebody he'd only just met.
"Oh," Peter said softly, freezing for a moment before hugging her back, feeling the same motherly warmth from her that he'd felt from Mila and instantly becoming relaxed, "It's so nice to meet you, Mrs Campbell."
"Please," Melanie scoffed, placing a hand on his cheek, "I know I don't look old enough, but call me Grandma. Or Melanie is fine, too. Whatever you prefer, sweetie."
Peter's face seemed to glow with happiness and Mila noticed a gloss of tears frame his eyes, though he swallowed and held them back, nodding quickly.
Admittedly, Tony found himself almost choking up at the scene before him. He placed an arm across Mila's shoulders and she leant against him, both of them feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment that everything was working out the way it was supposed to, that the family they'd found was the family they were supposed to find.
Leaving a kiss on Mila's temple, Tony walked over towards the kitchen door, "Can I get you a drink, Melanie? Glass of Merlot?"
"Merlot?" Melanie rolled her eyes and picked up her bag of shopping from the airport, pulling out a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, "It's Christmas, Tony. Put this on ice, won't you?"
Shooting a wink at Peter, Melanie handed Tony the bottle of champagne that made the teenager smile. He had been nervous about meeting Mila's mother ever since he found out she was coming for Christmas, worrying that things might be awkward or she wouldn't love him the same way she loved Tristan.
Only clearly, Peter had nothing to be worried about. Melanie was warm and inviting, comforting and had made all of Peter's concerns disappear from the first second they laid eyes on one another, instantly feeling the love and acceptance he'd dreamt of having from a grandmother his whole life.
"Grandma? Is that you?"
Tristan's bedroom door opened and a few moments later the little boy came running down the stairs in anticipation, wide eyes brimming with joy when he saw her waiting for him with open arms.
"There he is! Have you missed me?"
Melanie scooped Tristan up and peppered his face with kisses, the little boy giggling wildly as he threw his arms around her neck and kissed her back.
"I missed you so much. I have a brother now, Grandma, he's right there!"
Tristan pointed at Peter with a proud smile, leaving the teenager with a timid blush in his cheeks as he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Isn't that wonderful? You are so lucky to have Peter as a big brother, aren't you?"
Nodding eagerly, Tristan wriggled out of his grandmother's arms and walked over to Peter, grabbing hold of his hand and rocking back and forth on his heels as he looked up at him.
"Can we show Grandma the lego you helped me build?"
"Why don't we let Grandma have her drink first? We can show her the legos after, I'm sure she'd love to see them. Let's go help Daddy pour the champagne, alright?"
Peter glanced over at Melanie who gave him a knowing smile and a nod of her head that warmed his heart.
A few hours later and Tony found himself sat at the dining room table with Melanie, a now half-empty bottle of Merlot between them after the adults had polished off the champagne within thirty minutes.
Mila was sat on the floor with Tristan between her legs, Peter sat opposite as the three of them attempted to build a wooden train track together. It was supposed to be a Christmas present for Tristan but the child had stumbled across it in his mother's bedroom after Mila had forgotten to hide it.
In light of the happiness everyone in the home felt that evening, Mila let Tristan have his first gift a little early that Christmas, though instead of keeping the boy entertained, it had consumed her evening as her son begged her and Peter to help him build the train track.
The lights on the green fir tree were still sparkling white next to Mila and Tony's eyes were a little hazy from the alcohol as he watched her with his head resting in the palm of his hand, a lazy smile playing on his lips.
"Peter is a lovely boy, isn't he?"
"Huh?" Tony said, snapping out of his trance when Melanie spoke.
The older woman just chuckled, "I said, Peter is a lovely boy, isn't he?"
"Sorry, just daydreaming," he said with an apologetic raise of his brows, "Yeah, he's a great kid. So good with Tristan, Mila loves him, I couldn't ask for anything more."
Melanie sipped her wine, narrowing her eyes slightly as she observed the way Tony turned his gaze back towards her daughter, seeing the curve of a smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes as he watched her.
She wasn't doing anything in particular, just making her son laugh and helping him build his train track, but Tony was clearly mesmerised. He had a placid glaze over his face that made his stillness poetic, like he was seeing everything he'd ever wanted to see for the first time.
Mila tickled Tristan's sides and the two of them laughed together before she kissed his cheek, teaching him how to blow a kiss across the floor to his big brother who blew plenty back to him, pure, genuine love filling the room and giving the place a soul that it had lost.
Tony almost wanted to cry as he watched Mila. Her hair was tied back then and she'd cleansed her face, changing out of her jeans into sweat pants and a tank top like usual. He still thought she could stop the turning of the world with how beautiful she was, taking his breath away without even having to look in his direction.
Mila was graceful and daring, delicate and strong all at once. She was everything Tony felt that he wasn't, yet she made him feel like he was. He felt strong when she touched him and powerful when she said his name, fragile when she kissed him and passionate when she looked into his eyes.
"Can I ask you something?" Tony said, grabbing the bottle of Merlot and topping up Melanie's glass.
"Sure," she said, nodding in thanks.
Tony sighed and folded his arms as he leant on the table, kissing his teeth as he paused in thought before looking up at Melanie.
"When you met Jack, how did you know that he was the one?"
Melanie leant back in her chair and raised her glass to her lips, smiling to herself as she recalled the time she first saw Jack Campbell and felt as though time slowed down and the wind blew backwards.
"I was outside a bar with my friends and a group of guys. I lived a little out of town and the guy I'd been talking to all night didn't offer to walk me home. Jack had been smoking a cigarette a little further down the street and he came over after they'd all left. He said he'd overheard our conversation and offered to walk me home. He gave me his jacket and I told him my feet hurt so he took off his shoes and gave them to me. He walked the whole way to my house in his socks so I would be comfortable and warm. When we got back to my house I wished I lived further away so I could've carried on talking with him, so our night wouldn't have to end. I knew he was the one when he went from being a stranger to someone I didn't ever want to be without in less than an hour, and I knew from the way he kissed the back of my hand and told me to have sweet dreams that I was going to marry him. And I did."
Tony just smiled, "So it was a gut feeling?"
Melanie shrugged, "Partly. He was kind, selfless and helpful to me when he didn't have to be. I wanted someone like that to take care of me, to love me. I just so happened to see the whole world in his eyes, too."
"Sounds a lot like someone we know." Tony said with a small laugh, glancing back over at Mila who was in a heated game of Jenga with Peter now Tristan was happy playing with his train set.
"Why do you ask?" Melanie pried, tilting her head slightly, "Do you not get that feeling with Milena?"
Tony laughed, "Are you kidding me? A lot of things have nearly killed me but being without your daughter was the thing that made me feel as close to dying as I've ever felt. I feel like I need her to breathe, like I need her to see clearly and to think properly. I don't know how I lived without her before but there's no way I could do it now. I need her, and I need those boys, and I love them all more than I ever thought I could love anything."
Melanie remembered her daughter's relationship with Logan. She remembered the way she would tense up when he touched her and the way she was always scared to speak when he was around. Of course, she kicked herself for not noticing the signs at the time, but now Melanie knew the whole story of her child's trauma, it made things oh so clear to her.
It made it clear that Mila was in love with Tony. She laughed and spoke from her heart, grabbed hold of his hand and kissed his cheek whenever she had the chance. Her face was always warm with colour and her heart never empty, Tony's hand always lingering on the small of her back and his lips never too far away from her own. They were inseparable, obsessed with one another in the most adoring way and it made Melanie's heart swell with happiness to see her daughter finally be loved the way she'd always deserved to be.
"You have a good heart, Tony," Melanie said, "And it's in the most careful, precious hands you could ever wish for it to fall in to."
A crash of jenga blocks spilling all over the wooden floor broke the stare and silence between Tony and Melanie, both of them turning to look over at the chaos happening on the other side of the room.
"Alright, Grandma's turn!"
Melanie wandered over to her grandchildren and Tony headed into the kitchen with the now empty wine bottle in search of another to crack open. He was alone for just a few seconds before the door swung open and Mila walked in with a happy smile.
"You alright?" She asked, walking over to him and placing her hands on his chest.
Tony's lips pulled to the side as he looked down at her, his eyes softening as he held her gently by the waist, pulling her ever so slightly closer to him.
"I love you."
Mila's eyes curved upwards and her cheeks blushed, feeling the pressure of his hands on her skin and the intensity of his gaze that together made her heart skip a beat.
"I love you too, Tony."
"No," he whispered, shaking his head once, "I mean you complete me. I mean I'm nothing without you. I mean I need you like I need air, I mean you are everything to me, I mean I am totally, completely, entirely enamoured, enthralled, in love with every single part of you."
A breathless laugh passed from Mila's lips as she looked up at him, a tear falling from her lashes out of shock at his words, unable to even think about what to say in response since he'd made it impossible for her to comprehend a single thought other than the fact that she had everything she could've ever wished for in her hands.
"Tony, I-"
"Shh," he silenced her and rest a hand on her cheek, his eyes glowing amber, "Don't say anything. Just let me kiss you, and then we'll go back out there and be with our little family, alright?"
Mila wondered how she ever thought that Logan Whitlock had loved her when it was clear that the only real love that existed in the world was the one she shared in her heart with Tony Stark. The sun and the sky didn't come close, stars and the blackest night, the ocean and a captain, nothing held even the smallest flame to the essence of ethereal purity that Mila and Tony shone on one another.
She nodded, clinging to him with a burning in her chest that cooled as soon as he kissed her. His lips felt like heaven, he felt like heaven, and when they finally pulled apart with their foreheads resting against each other, Mila was sure that she was staring into the eyes of an angel.
"Thank you for choosing me," she said tenderly, pressing another kiss to his lips that he accepted without hesitation, kissing her back with eyes held shut and desperate enchantment pouring from his lips.
"Sweetheart," Tony fell into her eyes and landed in the softness of her skin, feeling her in his hands, in his heart and in his mind, "I will always choose you."