Hey guys. I'm sorry that it took me a while to update. I'm going to be honest, I've been down a lot lately, with the anniversary of Cory's death approaching. This used to be my favorite time of the year and now it's my least favorite :( In addition, there have been some mean comments that have made it hard for me to write. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going. One chapter and an epilogue to go - I'll really miss this story.
Chapter 35: Engaged
"I can't believe you said yes," Rachel said, smiling and looking at the ring on Finn's finger.
"Of course I said yes," Finn said. "I've asked you before, haven't I?"
"Well, yes," Rachel said. "But I felt like since you did it before, I'd do it now. And I love you."
"I love you too," Finn said. He had to admit, he really did like the ring Rachel picked out, but he felt bad she didn't have a diamond to put on her finger. "I'm going to buy you a ring, too, though. You deserve one."
Rachel smiled. "You saying yes means more to me than any ring could."
Finn smiled back. "I'm still getting you a ring."
"Well, a ring would be nice," Rachel giggled. "So, who do you want to tell first?"
"Can I call my parents?" Finn asked.
"Yeah, of course," Rachel said.
Finn got out his phone and dialed his mom's number, putting the phone on speaker. Carole picked up the phone almost right away. "Hey honey."
"Hi Mom," Finn said. "Can you get Burt?"
"Sure," Carole said. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm great," Finn said. He'd never been better.
Burt picked up the phone. "Hi Finn."
"Mom, Burt..." Finn began. "I'm engaged!"
"You're engaged?!" Carole asked. "So she did it?"
"She did it," Finn said. "She put together the best night ever and then she got down and asked me, with a ring and everything! She really is the best girl ever!"
"I'm so happy for you, honey," Carole said. "Rachel loves you so much."
"I know that you two will be happy together," Burt said. "Were you surprised?"
"Yeah," Finn said. "But so happy."
"We're so happy for both of you," Burt said. "Does anyone else know yet?"
"You guys are the first ones I told," Finn said.
"Rachel did ask us first, so we knew that it was coming," Carole said.
"I did forget to ask Hiram and LeRoy before I asked Rachel," Finn laughed. "Speaking of Rachel's dads, we should probably tell them next!"
"Well, congratulations to both of you!" Carole said.
"Thanks Mom," Finn said. He turned off his phone and turned to Rachel. "My parents are happy."
"Well, if they'd said no, I wouldn't have asked," Rachel said, smiling. "Can we call my dads now?"
"Yeah," Finn said. "Put the phone on speaker."
"I will," Rachel said. She dialed her dads' number as Finn sat by her side, hoping her dads would be happy. After a few rings, LeRoy picked up the phone. "Hi baby!"
"Hey Daddy," Rachel said. "Where's Dad?"
"I'll get him," LeRoy said.
Finn had to admit, he was feeling nervous. He knew Rachel's dads were very protective of their daughter and that he wasn't as big minded as she was. What would they think? They hadn't been keen on this before...
"Hey honey," Hiram said.
"Dad, Daddy, I'm happy to tell you that Finn and I are engaged!" Rachel said. "I popped the question earlier tonight, and he said yes!"
"You did?" Hiram asked. "Did you videotape it?"
"I did, and I'll show you the video next time you're in town," Rachel said proudly.
"Baby, you're getting married," LeRoy said.
"You're not upset?" Finn asked.
"No, of course not," Hiram said. "Before, you two were so young and confused. Now, you've been through hell and back and you've proved you can make it in the real world."
"We have," Finn said, hugging Rachel.
"So, we want to help once you start planning," Hiram said.
"Of course," Rachel said. "I'm sure Finn's mom will want to help, too."
"Well, congratulations, you guys," LeRoy said. "You deserve this."
Finn smiled. "Thanks."
x
Rachel couldn't be happier that she and Finn were engaged. Any moment now, their friends would get home, but for now, she wanted to cuddle with her fiance. If someone had told her a year ago that she and Finn would be engaged in a year's time, she wouldn't have believed them and would probably be upset with them for giving her false expectations. At this time last year, she and Finn had just begun speaking to each other again. They'd begun moving back toward each other after hooking up at the wedding, but then Finn disappeared, and Rachel thought that he was dead. But he was here with her right now, with a ring on his finger.
"What are you thinking about?" Finn asked.
"Us," Rachel said. "I'm just so happy right now."
Finn smiled. "Me too."
The door opened, and Rachel knew their roommates were home. She told them not to come home before a certain time, and now her time with Finn alone was ending.
"Oh, it looks nice in here!" Brittany exclaimed.
"Okay, Frankenteen, let's see your finger," Santana said.
Finn held up his hand. "Good choice, Rachel," Kurt said.
"Well, you'll need to help me pick out a ring for Rachel," Finn told his brother. "I want her to get to have one, too."
"Of course," Kurt said.
"So, what did she do?" Sam asked Finn.
"She recreated our first date in New York and gave me little trinkets of our relationship along the way," Finn said. "Then we came home and watched a video of our songs together, and then she asked me to marry her!"
"Awww!" Blaine said. "You two are cute."
"I like to think so," Rachel said. "Want to see the video?"
"Of course!" Artie said.
Rachel played the video for their friends, smiling as she watched it. At the end of the video, Finn turned to Rachel. "I don't think I could have topped tonight, so I'm glad she asked."
"We're really happy for you guys," Santana said. "So, when will you tell people?"
"We told our parents already," Rachel said. "You guys are our closest friends, so you should be the first to know after them."
"Have you two started fighting over who gets Kurt as the honor attendant yet?" Artie asked.
"He's Finn's brother," Rachel said.
"Good, because I want him as my best man," Finn said.
Rachel turned to Santana. "And will you be my maid of honor?"
"Of course!" Santana said.
"I want you to be a bridesmaid, too," Rachel told Brittany.
"Yay!" Brittany cheered.
"And I'd like for you guys to be groomsmen, too," Finn told Sam, Artie and Blaine.
"Of course we will be!" Sam said. "And the three of us will have to plan your bachelor party, since Kurt will probably want to go to the bachelorette party."
"We don't even have a date set yet!" Rachel reminded their friends.
"We know, we know," Kurt said. "We're just really happy for you guys."
x
"So, when should we have the wedding?" Rachel asked. She and Finn had gone to bed and were cuddling in their room. Rachel put her hand on Finn's finger, loving the feeling of the ring on his finger.
"I was hoping maybe next summer," Finn said. He paused. "I just... I want it to be perfect, and that'll give me time to get all my strength back."
"I understand," Rachel said.
"I know you want to get married," Finn said. "So thank you for being willing to wait."
"Of course," Rachel said. "So, for our wedding party, who else are you thinking?"
"I'm glad I got Kurt as my best man," Finn said. "He is my brother, after all." He paused to think. "Well, I have a special connection to our friends from Glee, and I already got Blaine, Sam and Artie to say yes, so I'd like Puck and Mike too... and maybe Jake and Ryder, too, since I really loved leading the new group. And I'd also like to have Cory, since he's been such a great friend to me here in New York."
"That sounds good," Rachel said. "Santana said she'll be maid of honor and Brittany said she'll be a bridesmaid. I'd like to have Mercedes, Tina and Quinn too... I guess I have time to decide who else to use. And I'd kind of like Mr. Schue to be the officiant, since he was the one who led glee which brought us together."
"You do," Finn said. "And that sounds great! I'm already excited to see you in your dress!"
"Finn!" Rachel said. "You know you can't see me in it before the wedding. I'll have to hide it at my dads' house."
Finn pouted. "Okay."
"What matters is that we're getting married," Rachel told Finn.
"I know," Finn said. "So, when do you want to announce it?"
"We've already told our parents and our closest friends," Rachel said. "How about we put something on Facebook?"
"That sounds good," Finn said. He got out his iPhone and typed up a Facebook status. "Rachel and I are happy to announce that we are engaged! After a dream date, she got down and asked me to be her husband. I am so lucky to be marrying the most amazing woman ever. I love you, Rachel - and I am so lucky to be having you as my wife. I can't wait to start our lives together." He showed his phone to Rachel. "What do you think of this?"
"I love it, and I love you," Rachel said.
Finn posted the status with a photo of his ring. Within a few minutes, there were over a dozen likes and comments. His phone was vibrating with congratulatory text messages.
x
"Finn, you're in the news again!" Santana called out. It had been a few days since the proposal, and Finn and Rachel were still completely over the moon. They'd been getting congratulations from everyone, from the members of the glee club, to extended family members, to classmates from McKinley and their colleges, to Rachel's Funny Girl castmates, to Spotlight Diner coworkers. Mr. Schue had agreed to be the wedding officiant. Rachel had asked Quinn, Mercedes and Tina to be bridesmaids, and Finn had asked Puck, Mike, Cory, Jake and Ryder to be groomsmen. Rachel was still deciding who else she'd want to ask.
"Oh gosh," Finn said. "What's going on? Now that Sue and the OSU kids are locked up, I was hoping the media coverage of my kidnapping would be over..."
"Well, I think you'll both like this," Kurt said, handing his iPhone to Finn and Rachel.
Finn looked at the headline on the Lima news website. "Lima kidnapping victim engaged?"
"Oh wow," Rachel said. "Our engagement's in the news!"
Finn looked at the news article and began to read it. "Finn Hudson, the former University of Lima student who was kidnapped this past spring, is engaged to Rachel Berry, also a Lima native and the star of the upcoming Broadway production of Funny Girl, sources confirm..."
"Oh, wow," Rachel said. "I'm sorry, Finn... I guess this is what happens when I'm on Broadway..."
Finn smiled. "Hey, I want the world to know that we're engaged! And I'm so happy we're engaged." He continued reading the item. "Hudson and Berry dated in high school and now both live in New York. Sources say that Hudson, who is now attending community college in New York, is recovering physically and emotionally from the events of this past spring and that Berry has been his rock..."
"Awww!" Rachel interrupted.
"Well, they're right," Finn said. "You have been my rock."
"I love you," Rachel told Finn. "I can't wait to marry you."