Shelby stood in front of the full length mirror, smoothing over invisible creases in her long sleeved, dark purple, knee length, form-fitting dress. She switched her attention to her hair, tugging lightly on her curls, trying to get perfectly placed,"Baby, you look incredible. I don't know why you're so nervous," Will said from behind her, walking to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Shelby sighed, subconsciously leaning back into his embrace,"It's just been a while since we actually went out on a date, and I want to look perfect for you," she said, turning around in his arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck,"You've been there for me through this whole mess. You never left my side. You've seen me at my worst, and haven't ran for the hills. Hell, you've met my mother and haven't ran for the hills. You've been everything I could ever ask for, and I've been the worst girlfriend in the world," she said, kissing him softly, before laying her head on his shoulder,"I love you, so much, Will," she mumbled into his shirt.

Will smiled sadly at her, kissing the top of her head,"You have not been the worst girlfriend ever, Shell. You have just been a little preoccupied, and I completely understand that. You got full custody of Rachel, because her fathers beat her. Then, your sister died and you got custody of her not-even-one-year-old daughter. You've had a lot to deal with, baby. You're mother is, a piece of work," he said, shaking his head,"But, if anything, meeting her only made me want to prove to you how special you are even more than I already did," he said, kissing her deeply as she looked up at him,"I love you too, by the way, more than you can imagine," he added once she pulled away.

Shelby chuckled, nuzzling his nose slightly, before pulling away,"We should probably go, we don't want to miss the reservation," she said, taking his hand. They walked down the hallway together, stopping in the living room to give Rachel and Rylee a hug goodbye,"We won't be out too late," Shelby assured Rachel.

Rachel waved her hand dismissively,"Don't worry about it mom, just have a good time, and, whatever happens, don't freak out," she said, smiling at Will.

Shelby gave her a confused look,"What do you mean?" she asked.

Rachel shook her head,"Nothing, mom. Just have fun, we'll be fine," she assured her. With that, Will ushered Shelby out the door. He helped her into the passenger seat, and took her hand as he drove the short distance to the restaurant. Once they were there, he helped her out, and they walked inside, still holding hands.

"We have a reservation for four under the name Schuester," Will told the man by the door.

Shelby looked at him curiously,"Four?" she questioned.

Will nodded simply, looking back at the man,"Ah, yes," he started,"The rest of your party is already here," he informed Will, taking two menus and leading them towards the back of the restaurant, where an older couple were already waiting on on side of a booth. The man sat down the menus on the other side,"The waiter will be with you shortly," he said, walking away.

"Shelby," Will started as the older couple slid out of the booth,"These are my parents, Bill and Susan. Mom, dad, this is my girlfriend, Shelby," he introduced.

Shelby shot him a worried glance as she stuck her hand out towards the mother,"It's very nice to meet you," she said, smiling warmly. Susan ignored her hand, pulling her in for a hug instead.

"It is so fantastic to finally meet you. Will has been talking about you for a very long time," Susan said, pulling away, a sparkle in her eyes. Shelby hugged Will's father as well, before watching them slide back into the booth, and doing the same.

"Only good things, I hope," Shelby joked, looking at Will.

Susan chuckled,"Oh yes, dear. Only good things," she assured her.

They all made polite conversation as they ordered and waited for their food, and by the time they had finished the main dish, Shelby seemed completely at ease.

"I have to go call Rachel, and make sure she got Rylee to bed on time. Excuse me," Shelby said, waiting for Will to slide out of the booth, kissing him softly, before walking away from the table, pulling her cellphone out of her clutch.

Will watched her walk away, before turning back to his parents,"So, what do you think?" he asked, his hand making it's way into his jacket pocket, to the box that was in his jacket pocket.

Bill and Susan both nodded,"She's a lovely woman. You have our blessing, son," Bill answered.

"What do her parents think?" Susan asked.

Will sighed, shaking his head,"Her dad, well, she never really had one, and her mother is just, horrible to her. I didn't really look for her blessing from, but I did get her daughter, Rachel's blessing," he said.

Susan's face fell,"That's so sad," she said softly.

Will nodded,"That woman has caused Shelby a lot of problems," he said simply.

"Poor thing," Susan said, watching as Shelby approached the table again.

"Rylee is in bed, and Rachel is going to watch Rent, then head to bed as well," she informed Will as he slid out of the booth to allow her to slide back in

"Great," Will said, smiling and kissing her chastely.

"So, are we ordering dessert, or what?" Shelby asked, looking curiously around the table.

Will nodded,"We will, but I have something to ask you first," he informed her.

"What is it, babe?" Shelby asked, her gaze settling on his.

Will took a deep breath, taking both of her hands in his,"Look, I know we haven't been together for all that long, but I can already tell you that I love you more than anyone I've ever loved," he started.

Shelby smiled warmly back at him,"I love you, too, Will," she replied.

Will shushed her,"Let me finish," he instructed gently,"We've already been through so much together. I have seen you at your worst, and I'm not going anywhere. I want to be with you forever, Shelby. I don't know if you feel the same, or not, and I know that you deserve better than me, but, what can I say, Shell? I'm a selfish man. I want you all to myself for the rest of our lives," he said, looking deeply into his eyes.
"What are you trying to say?" Shelby asked, tears springing to her eyes at his sweet words.

Will took another deep breath,"I'm saying, Shelby, that I want you to be my wife. I want you to marry me. I want to marry you," he said, continuing to search her eyes. It was silent for a moment, and Shelby just gazed at him. "Well, what do you say?" Will asked, suddenly getting nervous.

Shelby shook her head,"Are you sure you want to be stuck with me forever?" she asked, the tears sliding down her cheeks now.

Will nodded,"More sure than I've ever been about anything, Shell," he assured her. After another moment of silence, Will looked at her desperately,"Come on, Shelby. Please answer me," he pleaded.

Shelby finally nodded,"If you're sure about this, I would love to marry you," she said.

Will smiled, pulling the box out of his pocket, and taking the ring out of it, sliding it onto Shelby's finger, pulling her towards him for a deep kiss,"God, you scared me there for a minute," Will whispered, resting their foreheads together, completely lost in their own little world, forgetting all about his parents sitting across the table from them.

Shelby sniffled,"You were wrong, though, Will. It's you that deserves better than me," she insisted, kissing him again.

Why was Shelby so hesitant to say yes? Find out next chapter! Only a few chapter left of this story!