"I don't know," I answered honestly. "They survive it the first time, though. I would imagine they will survive it again. They were injured mostly because they tried so hard to save you."
Tony looked out the window for another moment before turning back to me. He smiled, putting his faith in me completely. "Let's do this then. My bag's packed, I just need to go get it."
I frowned. "How are you going to leave an army base with your duffel bag when you're on high alert?"
He shrugged. "I think you met the gate guard yesterday. He talked about you at the poker game last night. He said I was a lucky guy, and I think he believed it. I believed it too. I was so lucky that I won $200 from him." He grinned at me again. "I gave it back to him to look the other way today."
I leaned over and kissed him. He was coming, and we were going to make it. As long as we made it to the Mexico border, he was safe.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you," I whispered as we pulled apart. I wanted to cry in relief. I wanted to stand on the roof of the car and whoop for joy. I was going to be with my Tony.
"Enough that you apparently traveled back in time to come get me," he said. His eyes met mine, warm and brown like a sunlit wooded glade. Like the picture I had been trying to paint. "You know I love you, right?"
I nodded, unable to find the words. Words were inadequate. I kissed him again, sending happiness straight down through my toes. He left me breathless and full of joy.
"I love you, too," I finally managed to whisper. He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose.
"I'll be right back," he said, reaching for the car door. "Can I leave a note for them? I don't want anything to happen to Dean and Matt."
"I never really got the details. It was a top secret mission. You were supposed to guard someone important in January. No one would tell me anything else. I guess, just tell them to expect the worst on the missions in January." I shrugged. I had dug for more, but it was still classified top secret. Part of the pain of his death was not knowing anything about it.
He nodded gravely. "I love you," he said one last time before opening the door.
"I love you," I said as he stood up and closed the car door. I watched him walk back onto the base and leaned back in my chair to wait for his return.
***
The next ten minutes were the longest of my life. My brain went through every possible scenario as I waited for him to return.
He changed his mind. He was really just seeing if I had somehow gotten top secret info and is actually telling his commander. He ran into Dean and Matt, and they convinced him to stay. He fell and broke his leg walking in to get his stuff.
I almost drove the car to the gate at least five times before looking at my watch and telling myself that I just needed to give him time. Logically, I knew that he needed more than thirty seconds to walk to his room and gather his things, but every second that passed just made me more nervous. I was terrified that he was going to change his mind or get caught. We were so close to being together that every minute spent waiting was torture.
My foot tapped restlessly against the floor of the car until I finally saw him emerge from the gate. He had his green duffel-bag slung over his shoulder and a broad grin plastered across his face. I popped the trunk and he tossed his bag inside.
Tony opened the door and immediately kissed me. I could smell the heat of the sun on him from walking back and forth. It was like he brought heaven with him.
"I told them I was going to go spend some time with my girl," he said with a wink. "No one will look for me for at least a day."
"Then it's a good thing that we can get to the Mexican border in just a couple of hours," I replied and put the car in reverse.
"Then start driving, Ladybug." He leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. He grinned at me. "I'm looking forward to some authentic tacos."
Chapter 14
August 2, 1990
For the second time
A little over three hours later, I pulled the car into a small motel a few miles away from the Mexican border. We were safe. Tony was safe. I pulled out my wallet and carefully counted out the money we would need for the night.
"Well, I hate to tell you this, but I kind of wish I hadn't given the gate guard all his money back. What are we going to do for money?" Tony asked, watching me count the bills. A hint of worry crossed his face. "I don't exactly have a lot of marketable skills, and my Spanish is a little rusty."
I grinned. "I'm from the future remember?"
He frowned and I grinned wider.
"It will be tight for a little bit, but I know the big, upcoming sports upsets." I tucked my wallet back in my pocket. "With that money, my savings, and a small inheritance I will receive next year, we will invest in some companies. Apple and Microsoft for now, and then later on, Google and Amazon."
"Amazon and Google? What kind of businesses are those?" Tony asked, his eyebrows raised as we got out of the car. He stretched his arms up over his head, the talons of the eagle peeking out from under the plain civilian shirt he had changed into. It was the red shirt I had met him at in the bar. In fact, I was pretty sure it was the same entire outfit. It looked so damn good on him, I couldn't wait to get to the room.
"They're huge international companies that will make us billionaires. There's going to be something called the dot-com boom, and we are going to ride it like a money wave," I explained. "Plus, I have the benefit of knowing what companies are going to be successful as well as upcoming world events."
"You said billionaires, right?" Tony asked. "With a B?"
"Yup," I replied, laughing at the look on his face. "Definitely with a B. Gotta dream big, right?" I left him standing in the parking lot with his mouth hanging open as I went to go pay for our room.
I unlocked the door to our room and peered inside. It was small, but clean. It was a good place to start our future together on the run.
"Wait a second," Tony said, catching my arm before I could step into the room. "We might as well do this right."
I frowned slightly and then shrieked with delight as he picked me up into his arms and carried me over the threshold as if I were weightless.
"I thought that was just for newlyweds," I said as he closed the door, still holding me in his arms. He nuzzled my neck, his lips sending shivers of desire down my spine.
"I guess I'm just getting ahead of myself," he said quietly. "Would you marry me?" He pulled back and looked at me. His brown eyes were warm and full of want. Being held by him made my mouth water, and his question made my heart skip a beat.