Chad glared at the picture on his nightstand, willing it and the memories it brought to just disappear. It was the picture Troy had taken of him and Taylor on their high school graduation day. They were just staring into each other's eyes and their arms were wrapped around each other as though no one else in the world mattered. And Chad really believed, that at that moment, that was exactly the way they had felt.

"CHAD DANFORTH! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I WILL IT BREAK DOWN, DAMN IT!"

Chad cursed at the angry voice outside his door and groaned as he forced himself to get out of bed. An angry Sharpay was normal. An angry Gabriella, however, was something entirely rare and scary. The afro-headed male dragged his lazy ass across his bedroom floor and wrenched his door open, ready to face Gabriella Bolton. What he wasn't expecting, however, was a pregnant Kelsi Nielson-Evans at her side. The mother-to-be looked at him with such dissappointed and sad eyes that Chad just felt like throwing up there and then.

"What are you guys doing here?" he mumbled as he tried to stop them from coming into his bedroom. His efforts were to no avail, however, as the two women just marched past him. Chad watched as disgust and sympathy crossed their faces when they saw the state of his room. Beer bottles were scattered around the floor, pictures of Chaylor were crumpled and around the rubbish bin and the cigarette packs all around the room made Kelsi let out a small gasp and Gabriella smack him on the head.

"Smoking? Seriously? Are you fucking kidding me?" Gabriella hissed. If Chad hadn't felt so defensive, he might have laughed at her cursing. Gabriella grabbed the bottle in his hands and smashed it into the rubbish bin. Fury ignited in Chad.

"Hey! I just lost the love of my life. I think I'm allowed to drink and smoke and do anything that calms me down, alright?"

Gabriella snorted. "Oh, please. The only reason you're without Taylor right now is because you can't make another commitment."

"I proposed to her and she rejected my proposal. What more is there, Gabriella, huh? She wants a husband and children she'd love but when I finally propose to her, she turns me down. So don't go blaming me on this, alright? The one you should be blaming is that bitch you call your best friend."

SMACK!

He felt the stinging pain on his cheek less than seconds later and his eyes widened at his best friend's wife. Gabriella was seething with anger, her eyes wide, jaws clenched and hands on her hips as she glared at him. From the side, he saw Kelsi rub her hand around her small stomach but kept his attention on the Latino.

"You think she's not hurting? She loves you so much, Chad! She gave up her position in New York for you out of all people. She could've been big and rich and she could have fulfilled her dreams of being President. But she gave them up. For you! I tried to stop her, to get some sense into her head and reminded her of her dreams. But you know what she said instead?"

Chad blinked.

"She said that she'd rather stay with you. You became her everything and she said that those bright futures wouldn't have been bright without you. She'd sacrifice so much for you and here you are, after one fight, with beer bottles and cigarettes in your possession. You claim you love her, that she's the love of your life, but you propose to her so that she wouldn't break up with you? Seriously, Chad, who does that?"

"Chad, did you even think of the future when you proposed to her?" Kelsi asked and for the first time in a while, Chad was thankful for her quiet demeanor.

Chad just stood there. Had he thought about his future with Taylor? He was so concerned about not losing her that he hadn't thought of anything else.

Was he ready for a future with Taylor? He'd been with her for nine years, longer than many unmarried couples had been together and he'd enjoyed every minute of being with her, even when they were fighting. He loved the way she laughed, the way she was as fiercely protective of those she loved like he was and he loved that she'd wanted a future with him. Was he ready to finally be her husband? Hell, yeah he was.

Seeing the look of realization cross her best friends' face, the same look that she had witnessed so many times, Gabriella grinned to herself. Mission accomplished.

"She's hasn't left the house since you proposed to her. Go get her, tiger," Kelsi smiled. Pumped with adrenaline, Chad staggered out of his room, leaving the two women in the room. Kelsi turned to Gabriella.

"Do you think we should have told him to take a shower first?"

Gabriella Bolton just shrugged.

"I'm an idiot, I know."

Taylor turned around at the sound of the voice she loved so much and just looked at Chad. She'd never seen him so disheveled, so lost. His face was stubby and hairy, obviously displaying that he hadn't shaved in a while. He was in trek pants and a crumpled t-shirt and his hair was even messier and wilder than usual. He was panting, as though he had been running a marathon. Taylor's eyes widened in realization.

"Did you... Did you run here?"

Chad shrugged. "Traffic's a bitch at this time of the day."

She just stared at him as he drew closer and closer to her until he was only an arms' length away. He gently took her hand and Taylor gasped as he went to his knees. She opened her mouth to protest, "Chad, we're not getting back together."

"I need you to listen to what I have to say, alright?" he asked as though she had not spoken.

Taylor sighed and nodded, knowing that whatever he said would not make a difference. She wanted a future with kids and a husband who loved her unconditionally. While Chad did love her unconditionally, Taylor knew he would never be ready for a kid.

"I love you, Taylor. So damn much and maybe I didn't know what I wanted when I was an idiot and proposed to you the other day, but I know what I want now. I want you, Taylor McKessie, and that will never change. I want you to have my babies, to be the person I come home to every day after work and the person I know I cannot live without. And I don't think I'll be a good father" Chad felt his heart sink when Taylor dropped his hand after that but continued on anyway, "Because having a child is a big responsibility and well, I'm Chad. I always screw up. But I know that I'll always have you by my side to help me be good enough for you and our baby. I love you, Taylor. And the thought of our children running around the house, calling each other names and kissing us goodnight scares the shit out of me but at the same time, it makes me smile. Marry me, Taylor, and I will prove to you that I can be a good father and maybe a better husband."

Taylor smiled. "I love you too, Chad. Yes, I will marry you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Chad laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger and gave her a passionate kiss.

"We're not going to have a baby if you're not ready, okay?" Taylor asked as she leaned against his chest.

Chad kissed her hair. "I'm ready if you are, Taylor."

"You do know that babies mean diaper duty, right?"

"Are you purposely trying to scare me?"

"Maybe."

"Well, you're scaring me shitless but I'm still not going anywhere."

A/N: Sorry I took a long time just to update this! I still don't know if you guys are interested in this story but if you are, please review!