I was stunned, I was speechless, I was so caught off guard I mean was he really asking me to be his wife? I mean I had dreamed of the day that he would ask me for weeks now but never in a million years did I think that tonight would be the night. I was so caught up in the moment that I almost forgot to answer him.
"Yes, I- yes Jesse I will marry you!" I said barely able to contain my excitement as Jesse stood up and slipped the ring onto my finger and then pulled me into a huge hug.
"You have made me the happiest man in the world tonight Rachel." Jesse whispered into my ear and I couldn't do anything but smile.
"And here I thought winning nationals made you the happiest man in the world. Who would have thought that the Tony tonight wouldn't be the highlight of my evening." I joked as Jesse pulled away from the hug and we ended up in a kiss.
"So this beats your Tony win?" Jesse questioned and I nodded.
"Yes it does. I guess with everything that has happened recently I have realized that there is more to life than winning some silly award, not that I am not beyond thrilled to have won the Tony." I said and Jesse smiled as he took my hand.
"Come on there are some people here who want to congratulate you." Jesse said as he dragged me into the restaurant and back to a small private dining room where Shelby, Beth, Kurt, Blaine, Puck, Santana, and Brittany were waiting.
"You are just full of surprises aren't you?" I asked and Jesse smirked.
"Only when it comes to loving you Rach." Jesse said as he pushed me towards Shelby who immediately took me into her arms and started to places kisses all over me.
"Let me see the ring." She said and I held out my hand to her and then it struck me that this was not a normal question for someone to ask unless they knew that you were proposed to.
"Wait you knew that he was proposing to me?" I asked and she nodded her head as she looked over my ring.
"Who do you think said it was okay for him to propose to you?" She asked and I looked over at Jesse.
"You asked her permission to propose to me?" I asked and he nodded.
"Yes I did. There is no way in hell that I would want to deal with your mother's wrath is I just proposed and didn't ask her permission first." Jesse said getting backed up by all the guys in the room.
"So what would you have done if I had said no?" I asked and Jesse and Shelby both gave me a look.
"Like you would say no." Jesse said and I smirked.
"I might have, I mean there was always a chance." I said and Shelby shook her head.
"Just like there is a chance that the sun won't rise in the morning." Santana retorted and I rolled my eyes.
"Regard less, how did you get everyone here? I mean Shelby was still at the award show when we left-"
"I had the driver take us the scenic route and Puck brought Beth from Shelby's while Kurt and Blaine set up and Santana and Brittany arrived shortly before we pulled up." Jesse said with a smug smile on his face.
"Sometimes you are too wonderful."
"So have you two thought of a date yet?" Kurt asked, dying to know when he can start planning the event.
"Kurt I just said yes like five seconds ago." I said with a laugh and he just sighed.
"It's never too early to start planning. I mean places around here book quickly so as soon as you get an inkling about what date you want you need to start looking at venues."
"January 22nd." I said and Jesse smiled in agreement.
"What? Why that date?" Kurt asked shocked that in a matter of seconds I went from not knowing what date to choose to having the perfect date in mind.
"That was the date that Rachel and I first met in the music store, I almost forgot." Jesse said as he wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on the top of my head.
"Do you have any idea where you want to have the wedding? Is there an idea of how many guest there are going to be?" Kurt asked and I shrugged.
"I think we want something small, only close family and friends."
"Small? Like how small are we talking about?" Kurt asked and I shrugged.
"I don't know, I think the group we have here plus a few more glee kids and family would do. Even when I was engaged to Finn I never really wanted the whole big white wedding." I said and Shelby turned to look at me.
"You were engaged before?" She asked and I nodded.
"I didn't mention that?" I asked and she shook her head.
"No you didn't, when was this?" Shelby asked as Santana and Brittany snickered seeing how uncomfortable I was getting.
"High school. It was nothing though, Finn and I didn't go through with it, clearly."
"When in high school?" Shelby asked and I sighed as I looked over at Jesse who had already heard this story and was not thrilled by the fact that his wife to be could have ended up with someone else.
"Senior year, it was after you left. It was just going to be a small thing at city hall but Quinn got in an accident the day of the wedding and we postponed it and then it just never happened. I was sure I told you this, I mean Jesse knows." I said and she shrugged.
"I guess you didn't think that your mom needed to know about your life." She whined and I rolled my eyes.
"Slightly over dramatic don't you think? The only reason I wouldn't have told you was because Finn didn't really matter to me, or at least he doesn't matter to me anymore. He was my first love but he wasn't the one I was meant to end up with and all the Finn drama happened so long ago that I don't really think about it too much, so I forgot to tell you that I was previously engaged." I said and Shelby smiled as Jesse walked over and wrapped me in a hug.
"Well don't let things like that slip your mind again. Your mother does not like to be the last one to know things like that." Shelby joked and I nodded.
"I promise that any other big thing about my life will be told to you in great detail as soon as I remember them."
"Good." Shelby said with a smug smile.
It was a great evening. There were tons of toasts that went around and everyone seemed really happy for Jesse and I, not that it really mattered because Jesse was the man of my dreams and I was going to marry him whether or not everyone approved of him because he made me happy. It was just an added bonus that everyone seemed to now adore Jesse.
It was about an hour into the party when Shelby came up to me with Beth resting on her hip. It seemed that the nine year old had tuckered herself out partying with me and all my friends.
"I think we are going to head out." Shelby said and I nodded as I ran a hand through Beth's hair.
"Thank you for all of this. I really mean it you have made my life so much better in the short time that you have been in it. Beth doesn't know how luck she is that you are her mom and I am just so happy that Beth gets that from you." I said and Shelby smiled as she shifted Beth a little and pulled me into a huge hug, rivaling every previous hug she had even given me.
"Thank you for that. I just wish that the people that I entrusted you with would have been able to give you what I gave Beth. Had I of known that they were going to be the way they were I never would have let them have you Rach, and you know that." Shelby said and I nodded.
"I know." I said and she sighed as she pulled away and wiped away a small tear.
"I'm just glad to know that even after all you have been through you still turned out to be the most caring and kind girl who I have ever met. It is just amazing to think about sometimes." Shelby said and I smiled.
"You should get going, Beth is heavy and the longer you hold her the heavier she seems." I joked and Shelby nodded.
"True that. Have a good time and don't stay out too late, and I mean it Rachel. You and Jesse both have a show to do tomorrow and I do not need you both to be tired. And text me when you get in alright?" Shelby asked and I sighed.
"I've not five mom, I think I can take care of myself I mean I am engaged for goodness sakes!" I complained and she nodded.
"Yes you are but that doesn't mean that I won't worry about you. Just wait until you have kids and then you will know what I am talking about." She said and I rolled my eyes.
"Trust me I won't be as over protective with my kids as you are with Beth and I." I sassed and she rolled her eyes.
"No, you and Jesse will probably be worse with your kids. Anyway I am serious about you letting me know when you get in, so promise me you will let me know." Shelby said and I nodded.
"I will text you to let you know when Jesse and I get in and if I don't then Jesse will and we won't stay out too late, I promise." I said and Shelby smiled as she leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of my head.
"Good, have fun." She said and I smirked as I turned to look at Jesse and Puck who were having a dance off at the moment.
"Oh I don't think I am going to have a problem with that."
After Shelby left the real party started. Shelby took my Tony with her so I was able to go out with the rest of the group and enjoy myself without constantly worrying about where my Tony was at the moment. From the restaurant Puck took us all out to a club that he frequented and he ordered shots for all of us to celebrate my engagement to Jesse along with another round in order to celebrate my Tony win. What started out as a calm evening was starting to take a turn to become a rather eventful night out.
Somehow I had underestimated the impact of my Tony win tonight. Since the win tonight the paparazzi had a new fire lit underneath them to get photos of me and that meant that as soon as they got wind of where I was they were coming to bombard me with camera no matter the time of night. Of course those photos tonight now included me being intoxicated being as I am a light weight and the engagement ring that I was proudly displaying on my finger being as I didn't think that we were going to be bombarded by the press so early on.
It was hard to remember how I got home but somehow I managed to make it back to my apartment and into my bed before three in the morning, but I wasn't able to realize all of that until there was a loud banging at my door at six in the morning causing my already pounding head to pick up pace with more intense throbs.
"What is going on?" I asked as I sat up and pushed my matted hair out of my face.
"I don't know but make it stop." Jesse groaned throwing his pillow over his head as I threw the comforter over him as I dragged my sorry ass out of bed and headed towards the offensive noise.
"Give me a minute!" I yelled as I slowly made my way to the door.
Whoever was banging at my door this early in the morning was about to get a piece of my mind and it was not going to be pretty. I threw the door open and to my surprise my mother was standing there impatiently waiting and preparing to bang on the door again.
"What in the world is going on?" I groaned and as she stormed into my apartment and I shut the door behind her trying get the pounding in my head to stop.
"Explain!" She said as she threw a magazine down on the counter and I sighed as I picked it up and looked at the picture.
On the cover of the magazine there was a picture of Jesse and I dancing with a clear shot of the ring on my finger as I grasped a glass of beer in my hand. Below the photo it read: "First the Tony, Then the engagement, Now the Party; get exclusive photos of the world renowned Rachel Berry and her fiance, teen heart-throb, Jesse St. James."
"It's just a tabloid mom, plus it's not like I was doing anything terrible in the photo. I am over twenty one so there is no problem with me drinking and they were bound to find out about the engagement eventually." I said as I sat down on the couch and started to rub my temples.
"We will get to the problems with the tabloid in a minute but what happened to texting me when you came in? I didn't know where you were and then I wake up in the morning to see the tabloids and the news covered with your face. Do you know how worried I was about you and then to see you in that state is infuriating. You know that you have a show to do tonight, there are news stations talking about how your performance tonight is going to suffer because of your current state. Where is Jesse?" Shelby asked as she marched back into my bedroom and I just laid my head back on couch and clenched my eyes shut.
Why did my mother have to be so overdramatic? I mean yes Jesse and I were a but hung over at the moment but we were bound to be fine in a few hours. Granted some sleep would help but she was the one who was not letting us sleep in at the moment. Plus on top of that she is upset because we didn't text her but honestly we were to drunk to text her, it was an innocent mistake and she should have made the assumption that would happen being as we are both two young kids celebrating a huge development in our relationship.
"You and Jesse were irresponsible last night and now I am going to get crap for it. You both need to think about the effect your actions are going to have on you and the people around you before you act-"
"We are going to be fine tonight mom, just chill out-"
"Rachel I am not going to chill out. Right now I am not your mother but I am yours and Jesse's director and I am worried about tonight and I think I have every right to be. You might be a award winning actress Rachel but if anything that only means you have to perform that much better and if you can't handle that responsibility then I suggest you and Jesse start looking for another show to perform in because this behavior will not be tolerated in this show." Shelby said finishing her rant as Jesse joined us in the living room.
"Shelby we got a little carried away last night but don't you think you are being a little harsh? I mean we just got engaged and we are of the legal age to drink, this isn't like when kids drank before Vocal Adrenaline performances. We will be fine before rehearsal today-"
"Oh really? So you and Rachel will be sober and prepared for rehearsal that starts in an hour?" Shelby asked and Jesse nodded.
"Yes we will. Now if you want to continue being our director then I must ask you to leave because Rachel and I don't need you to jump down our throats right now, but if you want to be the caring mother that Rachel needs right now then you can stay." Jesse said and Shelby sighed as she looked over at me as Jesse turned and walked back to the bedroom.
"Are you okay?" She asked and I nodded a little bit before she pulled me into a hug.
"I'm sorry I went off on you, but do you understand why I am a little upset?" She asked and I nodded.
"I guess. I didn't mean for this to happen it's just that everyone wanted to go out after we ate to have a proper celebration and I forgot how much of a light weight I am. I mean I don't even know the last time I drank, I didn't realize how so little could effect me so much and I didn't mean to get a ton of pictures taken either they all just sort of appeared and then it was too late. And I am also sorry that I didn't text you after I promised that I would, that was a careless mistake on my part and I didn't mean to make you worry."
"It's okay Rach. I get that you didn't mean for all that happen but when I woke up this morning and there was no text from you I thought the worst and then I turned on the television to see videos and pictures of you drunk and stumbling all over the place, it wasn't what I wanted to see. I guess I could have handled things a little better. I need to remember that you have your own life and that I can't dictate everything you do every second of the day because you are a grown woman who gets to make her own mistakes." Shelby said as she ran her fingers through my tangled hair trying to get some of the knots out of it.
"So do we really have rehearsal in an hour?" I asked just dreading the thought of having to sing with this killer headache.
"How about I push rehearsal back a few hours and you get some sleep? Does that sound like something you can handle?" She asked and I nodded.
"Can you do that?" I asked and she laughed.
"I'm the director, I can do whatever I please." She said with a huge grin. "Just go get some sleep and I will call when you need to get up so make sure your phone in on so I can get a hold of you, and just remember that the next time I am not going to be so nice. Now go." She said and I slowly got up and walked back into my bed room and crashed on the bed next to Jesse.
"You and your mom work things out?" Jesse asked and I nodded.
"Yep and she is going to call when we have to get up to go to rehearsal, but take note that next time Director Shelby isn't going to let Mother Shelby overturn whatever ruling she had made." I joked and Jesse laughed as he reached over and pulled me into his side.
"Well then we are going to have to be more careful about who we flaunt our drunkenness to now aren't we?" Jesse said and I laughed.
"I don't ever want to feel like this again." I said with a moan and Jesse kissed the side of my head.
"I second that. I love you Rach."
"I love you too Jess."
"I can't wait for you to be my wife." Jesse said and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.
"I can't wait to be your wife!" I really really couldn't.