Hey guys! I know that it's been a while, but I've been so freaking busy. I'm not gonna lie it's been a while since I've posted and I don't even know if I posted this fic already lol. I was supposed to post it around the Fourth of July, but life got in the way. I do not have a BETA, however I have been offered so I might take them up on that offer. I will try my best to post Forbidden and The Visit if you all are still interested. Once again I did not use a BETA for this one so please forgive my mistakes. I do not own glee or the characters, but please enjoy!

Mercedes looked at her red bottoms and contemplated on whether or not she needed them for their trip. She wanted to make a great impression when she met Sam's family. She knew his family was dear to his heart and she wanted to be liked by them.

"Baby," Sam called as he approached her closet. "It's a Fourth of July party that's going to be outside. You don't need those."

Mercedes bit her lip and smiled up at him. "I can wear them for you then."

A smile grew on Sam's face whilst he joined her on the floor. He pulled her face to his and kissed her lips. "Trying to have sex in my parent's house? I fell in love with a freak."

Mercedes cheesed up at him before putting them back on its designated shelf. "Fine then which one?" She asked as she held up sneakers and flats.

"You can bring both. We're staying a weekend. You don't have to dress up for my family. They don't come from much so they're not going to care about what designers you're wearing."

"I still want to look nice for them. These are the people that love you and raised you and I want to make a good impression on them. As silly as it sounds I want them to like me a lot especially your mom."

"They're gonna love you the way I love you minus our physical activity." He teased.

Mercedes playfully rolled her eyes and went back to packing.

Mercedes was a pastry chef that was born and raised in Lima Ohio. Her parents were both wealthy professionals. Her Father Dr. Cliff Jones was the biggest dentist in the state of Ohio and Patricia Jones was an entertainment lawyer and attorney. She'd cover just about everyone from Drake to Guy Fieri and she was not to be messed with.

Mercedes had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, but knew what it meant to work hard. She was taught to treat people with respect, to see everyone as equal, and to never brag about what she had because it could be gone in an instant.

Sam was an artist that worked at a comic book store. He didn't get paid a grip and he didn't grow up knowing the difference between a salad fork and an entree fork. He was more familiar with a plastic fork if we're being honest. His mother and father taught him that it's what's inside that matters and that everyone deserves to be treated equally and with respect.

His first time meeting Mercedes parents went better than he expected. He didn't think they'd approve of him because of how he was raised or simply because he was white. Quite frankly they didn't care. When they heard and saw how much love Sam and Mercedes had for each other they immediately approved of them.

They were getting ready to move in with each other, but Mercedes wanted to meet Sam's family before they took that next step. Because Mercedes had a townhouse and Sam had an apartment he would be moving in with her.

"Is Santana going to be ready by the time we leave?" Sam asked from the hallway.

"She should be. I told her four a.m. exactly." Mercedes shared as she zipped up her suitcase. Heading out to where he was Mercedes wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and rested her cheek against his back.

Sam smiled and looked down at her hands. "You're nervous." He pointed out. Sam turned around and leaned down to kiss her.

"I just don't want to come off as bougie."

He tilted his head ever so gently causing her to gasp.

Sam kissed her lips and laughed. "You have your bougie moments, but they're cute. You're not that bad though. Now your cousin Bree,"

"She's bougie." They both shared.

Mercedes chuckled and nodded.

"Just relax, enjoy the food, the lake, and we'll have fun." He kissed her nose causing her to scrunch it.

Sam rested his head on the window as he drove down an old back road. Mercedes was running her fingers through his hair while arguing with her best friend Santana.

"I swear if I see a burning cross,"

"Santana!" Mercedes shouted and looked on incredulously at her friend in the backseat of her Range Rover.

"What? Cedes we are of color! We're going to a farm with," she covered Sam's ears, "white people." She uncovered them and sat back. "Did you think about that?"

"No because unlike you I don't think negatively."

"Bullshit you know your people of color senses go off when you hear," she covered his ears again, "white people and farms," She said before uncovering them again "in the same sentence."

"You do know that I can still hear you, right?" Sam asked as he took the next turn. "Santana calm down. We're not the backwoods red neck cousin dating possum eating white folks. Maybe on my daddy's side in Mississippi, but not us." He teased. "Trust me I wouldn't take y'all out here if that's the kind of people we were. We're just plain ol country folks."

Mercedes smiled at his accent as it came out. "I love when your accent comes out." Mercedes teased as her fingers still played in his hair.

He looked over and smiled. He leaned in for a quick kiss before focusing back on the road.

Sam's younger sister Stacy looked out of the window and waited for her brother to come. She hadn't seen him since last year's Christmas and she missed him a lot.

"Woah!" She muttered under her breath at the shiny black Range Rover that pulled up. A huge smile spread across her face once she saw Sam step out of the car. "He's here mama he's here!"

She opened the door, ran out and into her brother's arm.

Sam scooped his sister up and swung her around after he got the door for Mercedes and Santana.

"Stacy I've missed you so much." He put her down and noticed how tall she was getting.

Sam looked over and noticed Mercedes playing with the seams of her shirt. He walked over and held Mercedes hand. "Stacy this is Mercedes and Mercedes this is my baby sister Stacy."

Stacy reached a hand out and smiled. "Nice meeting you. I love your hair."

Mercedes shook the younger girl's hand and smiled. "Thank you and its lovely meeting you, too."

Santana crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

Sam rolled his eyes. "The one in the back is Mercedes' best friend Santana."

"Hi!" Stacy reached her hand out.

"Hey." She quickly shook the blonde's hand before swatting a fly out of her face. "Oh hell no, can we please go inside?"

"Mama's been waiting for you. She's been cooking up a feast. Cousin Quinn just called and said she and Uncle John and Auntie Beth were on their way." Stacy informed as she helped roll Santana's luggage in.

"Where's daddy?" Sam asked as he held the door open for the three.

"He went to the store for more buns and cheese." She grinned from ear to ear as her brother wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Holding Mercedes hand with his available hand he headed into the kitchen only to see his mother working hard.

When Sam cleared his throat his mother turned around.

She quickly washed her hands before squeezing her son tight.

Sam could hear sobbing coming from his mother. He had moved out to Ohio almost three years ago and since his job was kind of demanding he didn't get to visit much. He and his family were close knit which is why he felt as if he broke his mother's heart when he told her he was moving.

He came back for the holidays and special occasions, but that was about it. Once he and Mercedes got serious he wanted to bring her to Kentucky, but his mother always said it wasn't the best time and that they wanted to do it when she was ready. Sam thought nothing much of it and just assumed it was his mother being extremely anal especially about a clean house.

Since meeting Mercedes he would call his parents telling them how special she was to him. His father couldn't wait to meet her, but his mother was a little more apprehensive about it. He prayed his mother didn't go back on her word of treating everyone the same and that you couldn't help who you feel in love with. It was a small voice that played in the back of his mind, but he knew deep down in his heart that his mother wasn't like that. At least he prayed that she wasn't.

Sam returned the love that his mom gave him. "Mom, please don't cry."

She stood up straight and wiped away her tears. She brushed away the blonde and gray tendrils that were in her face and put on a smile. "I'm sorry son it's just that I've missed you."

"I missed you too mom." Reaching back he reached for Mercedes hand and pulled her close to him. "Mom this is the special woman that I've been telling you about. Mom this is Mercedes."

"It's so nice to finally meet you Mrs. Evans." She reached a nervous hand out and if she wasn't so nervous about everything she would've thought more about the hesitant hand shake.

"Same here." Mary replied.

Santana's brow quirked up immediately at the interaction. She looked over and noticed that Stacy must've caught it too.

"Mama this is Mercedes' friend Santana." Stacy intervened after the awkward moment.

"Hello."

Santana gave her a suspect nod and a fake smile.

Stacy looked down at her flip flops and could already tell these two days were going to be a wild ride. "So I'm going to show them to their room." She looked at Mercedes and Santana and smiled brightly. "It's this way."

Once Santana was shown her room she shut the door with Stacy and Mercedes inside with her. "Okay Blondie can you explain what that was? I would've said something when it happened, but I didn't want to be rude in your house. My abuela didn't raise me like that."

Stacy sat at the edge of the bed and shrugged. "I have no clue. Mama's never acted like this before. She seems stressed out. I just think she wants to make a good impression and wants everything to be perfect. If she made you feel uncomfortable I'm sorry."

Mercedes shook her head. She scolded Santana with her eyes before sitting next to Stacy. "It's fine. I didn't notice anything. She seems sweet." Getting up and opening her suitcase Mercedes pulls out a rectangular box.

"Sam said not to do this, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. This is for you."

The young blonde opened it up and found a diamond necklace with a hollowed out heart and a diamond studded 'S' in the middle.

"It's gorgeous." Stacy ran her finger over the silk lining of the box. She knew Mercedes had to of paid a good amount for it because there was no sticker price tag and it wasn't in a cardboard box. Stacy shook her head and handed it back. "Thank you Mercedes, but I can't take this.

Mercedes brows furrowed. "No it's a gift. I wanted to get you something. I got your brother, mom and dad something as well. It's my way of saying thank you for letting me spend this Fourth of July with you and your family. It's a thank you for letting me stay in your home. Please keep it."

Stacy contemplated. She didn't want to be rude and give it back, but at the same time this was the most expensive thing in their house.

Looking up at Mercedes she gave her a hug. "Thank you."

Mercedes returned the hug and smiled. "You are very welcomed."

"This is sweet and all, but can we eat?" Santana asked as she traded out her flip flops for sneakers.

Stacy chuckled. "My dad should be back by now and once the rest of my family gets here then the food should be ready to eat." The blonde informed before heading out.

Once the door closed Mercedes noticed her friend head over to her purse to pull something out small. "Pocket sized Lawry's and Goya seasoning." She pointed out and tossed Mercedes the small bottle of Lawry's.

"Seriously San?"

"Yes. Some people don't season their food well."

"Knock knock." Sam sounded before he walked in. "Hey my dad and Stevie are back from the store."

"Let's hope this interaction is better than the first one." Santana mumbled as they left the room.

Hearing chatter Sam's dad turned around to his son's voice. The older Evans smile lit up the room before hugging his son.

"Dad this is,"

"The Mercedes Jones. I've heard a lot about you young lady."

"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Evans." Mercedes reached a hand out only for him to waive her off and shake his head.

"As smitten as my son is with you I want a hug." He pulled Mercedes in for a bear hug that caused her to giggle out.

Santana watched on and was grateful that at least Sam's dad showed some excitement towards Mercedes.

"And who is this gorgeous woman?" Paul asked as he directed his question to Santana. "Son, don't tell me you pulled two beautiful women."

"Oh god no. I'm Santana. I'm Mercedes best friend." She corrected him before she got pulled into a hug.

"So how was the ride?" Paul asked.

"Pretty smooth. It wasn't as much traffic as we thought." Sam answered.

"That's a nice vehicle out there. Real fancy." He teased.

"Guess who?" Sam's cousin Quinn announced as she stepped in the house. She was carrying a pan when she entered.

Her dad took the pan so that she could hug Sam. "It's been ages Sam. Is that yours out there?" She asked as she raises her shades.

"It's actually Mercedes' car." Sam shared only to notice his cousin wasn't even paying attention to him.

"Please tell me they're both single?" Quinn whispered.

"No the gorgeous one with the ass is my girlfriend. The other one that has an attitude she's single."

"Introduce me." She sang. She hooked her arm through his before walking over to Mercedes and Santana.

"Mercedes and Santana this is my cousin,"

"I'm Quinn." She reached her hand out and smiled brightly.

"Hi. It's nice meeting you." Mercedes replied. She chuckled at the blonde as she and Santana made eye contact.

"Hi" Quinn greeted as she directed her hand to Santana.

"Hey." Santana watched as the blonde bit her lip.

Mercedes snorted at the two. "I guess we'll leave you two alone."

Sam lead Mercedes out to meet his brother, aunt, and uncle. They were all very kind and sweet people. Mercedes was a little questionable about Sam's mom, but if Stacy said she was just nervous she'll take her word on it.

"So Mercedes what do you do for a living?" Sam's aunt Beth asked as they sat outside at the set up picnic tables.

"I'm a pastry chef. I own my own shop in Lima Ohio." She shared.

"Mercedes Shop was featured on Food Network's Best I Ever Had and Unique Sweets." Sam shared. He was extremely proud of his girlfriend and since Mercedes was humble about the success of her shop Sam had no problem doing it for her.

"Oh wow! That's so cool." Stacy added as she poured herself some homemade lemonade.

"Do you have a specialty?" Quinn asked as her hand roamed under the table.

Mercedes held in her laughter at Sam's cousin and Santana. "I have two actually. One is a salted caramel candied pecan cupcake with a maple buttercream frosting and a triple chunk chocolate chip cookie. It's white and dark chocolate chunks with a gooey milk chocolate center. Those sell out the quickest."

"I don't know about y'all, but that sounds delicious." Sam's uncle said.

Mercedes was getting asked a bunch of questions left and right from everyone except for Mary. If Mercedes was being honest it hurt just a little bit. It was Sam's mom and out of everyone there she really wanted his mom to like her.

"Son are you still at the comic shop?" Paul asked as he filled his plate with some more potato salad.

Sam nodded. "I am."

Mercedes noticed the mood change. She cleared her throat before speaking up. "Sam's working on an amazing comic book now. He said it's just for fun, but I think it's totally worth being published and sold worldwide. He's beyond talented and I'm surprised Marvel or D.C comics hasn't picked him up yet."

Mercedes bragged. She looked up at Sam and smiled.

Sam looked down at Mercedes and he couldn't have fallen in love with a better woman if he tried. She was his everything. When he doubted himself she was always there to cheer him up.

Sam leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips and smiled causing her to do the same.

The table filled with "awes" except for Mary. She put on a fake smile and excused herself from the table.

Santana looked at Stacy and shrugged her shoulders. "What the hell?" She mouthed and the blonde shrugged back and apologized once again.

Sam noticed his mother's rude behavior and looked at his dad.

Paul shook his head. "Ignore her." He whispered.

Because they were low on lemonade Mercedes offered to make some more. She excused herself to the kitchen leaving her alone with Sam's mom.

Mary looked back at Mercedes before focusing back on her cake.

"Did you need some help in here?" Mercedes politely asked as she squeezed the lemons in the jug.

"No I think I've got it. Thank you." And just like that Mary left.

Mercedes tried to focus on the lemonade instead of Sam's rude mother. It's not like Mercedes was a rude bitch or a gold digger. She didn't come into their house and demand anything or say anything out of line. Her thoughts were cut off by Stacy walking into the kitchen.

"Hey are you okay?" She asked before she took a seat on the counter.

"Yeah, why?"

"Umm because you've been in here for ten minutes. Don't worry about mama daddy said he's gonna speak to her about her incredibly rude behavior. If it helps any we're all very fond of you." She said with a comforting smile. "Auntie was looking at your shop online. She said she'll travel all the way down to Ohio just for your s'more cupcake and vanilla gelato."

Mercedes smiled at that. "I can make the cupcakes here. I would just need to go to the store and pick up a few things." She laughed as the blonde's eyes lit up.

"I have my permit. I can ask daddy for his truck right now!" She exclaimed.

Mercedes chuckled. "Is she going to be here tomorrow?"

Stacy nodded.

"Okay well if you show me where the grocery store is we can make a late night trip and surprise her with them in the morning. Your mom made a delicious looking pound cake and I don't want to step on her toes anymore than I already have."

Stacy shook her head. "You're not stepping on mama's toes she's just being hard headed." She leaned over and whispered. "That's where Sam gets it from."

The two shared a laugh before bringing the pitcher out.

The sun was dying down and the sounds of fireworks were going off. They were able to see fireworks from their backyard because of the park that was a few miles away.

Sam and Mercedes were curled up on a blanket as they watched the multi colored lights go off into the night sky.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Mercedes asked.

"On the couch with Stevie. My aunt and uncle are sleeping in the guest room and Quinn and Stacy are sharing Stevie's bed."

"Don't be surprised if Stacy and I end up sharing a bed. I'm pretty sure Quinn is gonna sneak Santana in her room tonight."

Sam shook his head. "That sounds like Quinn. You should've seen her in high school. She was stealing the football players girlfriend's left and right."

"She's a smooth talker. Almost got me today." Mercedes busted out laughing at Sam's face. She kissed him and laid her head on his chest. "Relax. I said almost. I'm all yours."

"Better be." He whispered before laying a kiss to her forehead.

As the fireworks died down and people started to get ready for bed Stacy and Mercedes were still up and laughing on the porch. "You should've seen Sam's hair after Quinn tried cutting it for him. Patches were everywhere!"

Mercedes held her stomach as she tried to control her laughter. "Oh my gosh I wish I could've seen it."

"I have pictures." The teen excused herself and headed over to their bookshelf.

"Stacy what are you doing?" Sam asked curiously. Once he saw her grab the photo album and hugged it close to her he already knew what she was doing. He stood to his feet and chased after her.

Mercedes head turned at the two siblings chasing after each other. She looked up at them from the steps that she was sitting on.

"She already knows the story. You might as well just let me show her." Stacy said before she opened up to the exact page. "Summer of 2007."

Stacy shared moments before Mercedes screamed with laughter.

"I'm glad you find this so funny." Sam said as he stared at his girlfriend laughing at his painful memory.

Trying to control her breathing Mercedes wiped the tears from her eyes. She grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him down for a kiss. "Aww baby I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the attempt of the cut. What were you going for?" She asked.

Sam sat down behind her and pulled her closer to his chest. "I don't even know. She thought she was Paul Mitchell, but it turns out she was Edward Scissorhands."

Mercedes snorted. "That's hilarious." Closing the book she looked up at Stacy. "Are you ready to go?"

The blonde nodded. "Let me just grab the keys."

Mercedes brushed her off. "I'll take mine."

Sam looked on in confusion. "Where are y'all going?"

"Mercedes is gonna make us a batch of her infamous s'mores cupcakes. We're going to pick stuff up for it."

"Wanna come?" Mercedes asked.

"Is someone going somewhere?" Stevie asked from behind the screen door.

"For a midnight run to the store wanna come?" Mercedes asked as she stood to her feet.

The blond smiled at Mercedes and nodded. "Let me grab my shoes."

"I'm gonna go tell Santana we're leaving." Mercedes headed into the house and to her and Santana's room only to find out she wasn't in there. She headed down to the door at the end of the hall where Stacy and Quinn were to be sleeping. "San?" Mercedes whispered before turning the handle. Mercedes immediately closed the door at the sight before her.

"What happened?" Sam asked as Mercedes came out front.

Mercedes shook her head. "I saw things that I didn't need to see. Your cousin is very talented I'll say."

Confusion read on Sam's face as the four made their way to her car.

After twenty minutes of searching for a store that was opened they finally found one and headed towards the baking aisle.

"Okay so we're just making the s'mores cupcakes and that's it?" Mercedes asked as she grabbed the things she needed.

"Mom likes red velvet cake." Stevie said quietly as he stood next to the cart.

"She sure does." Stacy agreed as she looked at the menu on Mercedes website. "And it says here that it's a customer's favorite."

Mercedes looked at the blonde as she wiggled her phone side to side. "You're a mess." Mercedes wrapped her arm around the tall and timid blond. "You're so soft spoken and you're a little cutie pie. So if you say Mrs. Evans likes red velvet then I'll trust you, but you have to help me make them, deal?"

Stevie's cheeks turned a shade red at Mercedes calling him cute. He nodded. "Okay."

"Hands off the future misses, Stevie." Sam teased as he pointed at his brother.

"Jealous." Mercedes sang. Once she finished picking everything up from that aisle she moved to the next making sure she collected everything she needed. She picked up some additional cupcake pans and some flowers for Mrs. Evans. Stacy, Sam, and Stevie told her it wasn't necessary, but Mercedes said it was a thank you for allowing her to use her kitchen.

"Shhhh!" Mercedes warned with a giggle as the three Evans fought over the homemade marshmallow fluff spatula. "There's enough for all three of you. Baby hand me the salt please."

Mercedes had just finished letting her s'mores cupcakes chill so she could frost them. She contemplated on torching the tops of them now or to wait until the morning. At her shop they would usually torch the marshmallow frosting when customers purchased them.

She figured she'd just torch enough for the four of them and wait until the morning to do the rest. She and Stevie had just finished putting the red velvet batter into the tins when Santana and Quinn joined them.

"What is going on in here?" Quinn asked.

"I told you I smelled food. Oh frosting." Santana headed over to the bowl and grabbed Sam's spatula.

"Sam!" Mercedes shouted out and shook her head once Santana handed it back. "What I saw I don't think you want to do that."

"I told you someone knocked." Quinn whispered to Santana. The raven haired woman shrugged and continued licking the spatula.

"Santana don't double dip." Mercedes warned her friend.

"Relax. I wasn't the one snacking." Her eyes lit up at her best friend's reaction. Mercedes snorted at her ridiculous friend.

Mercedes was grateful the younger Evans weren't paying attention to them.

"Alright they should be ready in twenty minutes. I'll torch these so you guys can have one now." Mercedes bought a handheld torch that was on sale and toasted the tops to the s'mores cupcakes. She sprinkled some graham cracker crumbs on top and broke off a piece of chocolate and stuck it in the cupcakes for presentation.

"Mercedes this is delicious." Stacy complimented as she made her way to the couch.

One by one everyone headed out to watch television leaving Sam and Mercedes alone.

Sam wrapped his arms around Mercedes waist as she whipped up the cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cupcakes.

"Taste," She stuck her finger out to Sam's mouth. She giggled as he licked her finger and then his lips. "Is it good?"

He nodded and rested his face in the crook of her neck.

Mercedes grabbed a spoon to taste for herself. She added a dash of vanilla and whisked it one last time.

She giggled as he kissed her neck and pulled her closer. "Sam stop being bad."

"You know I can't help myself when I'm around you." He whispered into the crook of her neck.

Mercedes turned around to him and reached up for a quick kiss that Sam decided to deepen.

Sam's stomach did flips hearing and feeling her moan against his lips.

Mercedes pulled back and rested her head on his chest. "One more day." She turned around and placed cling wrap on top of the frosting to keep it from crystallizing. She placed it in the refrigerator until she needed it.

Mercedes stood in the corner and waited for her cupcakes to finish.

Sam headed over to join her. He wrapped his arms around her again and looked down at her with a warm smile. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm just glad that I finally got to meet your family. I just hate that your mom hates me."

Sam's heart ached seeing Mercedes so visibly hurt. He lifted her chin back up so she could look at him. "She doesn't hate you. I don't think my mom hates anyone. I don't know why she's acting this way, but I'll talk to her."

"I don't want her to be forced to like me, but I just feel like she doesn't want me here. Did I come off as bougie? Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Mercedes asked as she wiped her eyes.

Sam pulled her in close and rubbed her back. If it was one thing in the world that Sam hated it was seeing Mercedes cry. She was literally the sweetest and kindest person he'd ever met. He loved her to pieces and he wanted to make her his wife sooner than later. He would give her the world if she wanted, but knowing Mercedes she wouldn't even ask for that. She just wanted his mom to like her and his mom couldn't even do that.

Sam took a deep breath and tried relaxing his jaw. "You didn't do anything wrong okay."

Mercedes hesitantly nodded.

Stevie bit his lip at what he just heard. He was heading into the kitchen to ask Mercedes if the cupcakes were ready, but instead he heard his brother and Mercedes whispering. Mercedes was one of the nicest girls that his brother had ever dated. She was sweet, made people laugh, and if he had to admit she was gorgeous. He didn't know why his mom didn't like Mercedes, but he hoped his dad talk to their mom about her attitude towards Mercedes.

"Stacy, can I talk to you about something?" He asked before grabbing his sister's hand and dragging her off to an empty bedroom.

"What is it?" The slightly shorter blonde asked.

"Mercedes was crying. She thinks mom hates her." He voiced his concern to his sister.

Stacy sighed sympathetically. She ran her hand through her blonde hair. "I don't know what mama's deal is. Mercedes is amazing. I don't get it. How can mama like someone like Kitty, but not Mercedes?"

Stevie shrugged. "Mercedes said she didn't want us to talk to mama about it, but I don't want Mercedes leaving tomorrow thinking mama hates her."

Santana knocked on the door and peaked her head in. "Hey, Mercedes said she needs your help Stevie."

"I'm coming." Stevie and his sister headed out and to the kitchen.

Mrs. Evans and her sister Beth were always morning people. They were the first two awake and the first two to spot the baked goods and flowers on the table with a hand written note in front of them.

"S'more cupcakes for Mrs. Fabray and Red Velvet cupcakes and daisies for Mrs. Evans. P.s. Mrs. Fabray there's a torch for the frosting if you want to make the flavor of the frosting really pop."

"If this isn't the sweetest thing ever," Beth whispered as she took a cupcake. She knew these weren't for breakfast, but something so sweet and pretty was meant to break rules. She covered her mouth and giggled as she torched the frosting with glee.

She sank into her seat at first bite. She looked at her sister make tea and cut a slice of her pound cake. "Mary aren't you going to try a cupcake? Mercedes is a very talented cook."

"Maybe," Mary muttered as she waited for her water to boil.

"Mary, Mercedes went out of her way to make your favorite cupcakes and you're not even going to try one? Where are your manners?" The older sister whispered as she went for one of her sister's cupcakes.

"Yes please answer because I would like to know as well." Paul asked as he joined the sisters.

"My manners are fine." Mary retorted. She stood at the table and took a piece of her pound cake. "I'm just not in the mood now. It's too early for a cupcake."

"Okay then explain your behavior yesterday at dinner." Paul reminded. He poured himself a cup of tea and stood against the counter as he waited for an answer.

Stevie and Sam could hear the three arguing in the kitchen. Sam sat up and ran a hand over his face. He hadn't woken up to his parents arguing since his dad was laid off back when he was in high school. He didn't like it then and he damn sure didn't like it now knowing his girlfriend was the topic of conversation.

Sam interrupted the three when he went for a glass of orange juice. After an awkward silence and a full glass of juice Sam looked at his mom. "Last night the love of my life was in tears because she thinks you hate her. I tried coming up with a reason for your behavior, but I couldn't. She just wanted you to like her and you couldn't even do that." With that Sam headed to Mercedes room when he noticed her getting ready for the day.

Once Mercedes saw a bed head Sam enter her room she smiled and put a finger over her lips as she pointed to a sleeping Stacy. Mercedes kissed Sam and grabbed her toothbrush. Noticing anger on his face Mercedes left the room and brought him out with her. "What's the matter?" Mercedes headed to the restroom to brush her teeth.

Sam shook his head. "Nothing I just woke up to bullshit chatter in the kitchen."

Mercedes spit and rinsed her mouth out. "Please tell me your parents aren't arguing because of me." Worry read on her face. "Sam I never wanted that. I can't force your mother to like me. Sure in an ideal world she would've adored me at first sight, but that's not how it happened. I don't want your parents arguing because of my feelings."

"Mercedes she's been rude to you and it's unacceptable."

Mercedes sighed. She was going to have to talk to his mother one on one and if she still didn't like Mercedes after their conversation then there was nothing she could do.

Mercedes took a shower and got ready for the day. Afterwards she would talk to Mrs. Evans.

As soon as Mercedes was ready she headed to the kitchen for breakfast when she noticed an awkward silence lingering in the kitchen.

"Good morning." Mercedes greeted as she took a seat next to Sam.

"Mercedes sweetheart thank you so much for the cupcakes. You truly have a gift." Mrs. Fabray gushed.

"It was my pleasure." Mercedes was about to ask Mrs. Evans if she enjoyed her cupcakes, but the older blonde exited the room and sat on the front porch. Mercedes grabbed her coffee mug and followed behind her.

"Do you mind?" Mercedes asked as she stepped out and onto the porch.

Mary shook her head.

Mercedes took a sip of coffee before placing it down. "Mrs. Evans did I do something wrong? Since being here I've noticed that my presence wasn't welcomed."

"Why would you say that?" The blonde asked as she looked at the trees in front of her.

"Well for starters you hardly look at me. Not to mention our first interaction where you didn't want to shake my hand." Mercedes sighed. "Mrs. Evans I love your son with every little being in my body. He makes me happy. He means the world to me. My parents love him and he and my older brother are extremely close. My mother is an entertainment lawyer and an attorney so she can come off as very intimidating, but even she wasn't as hard on Sam. When she saw the way Sam and I loved each other she immediately approved. I'm not saying you have to approve of me, but ever since I met the man of my dreams I wanted to meet the woman that raised him. I may not have felt welcomed by you this weekend, but thank you for raising Sam to be one of the kindest and the sweetest man that I've ever run across." With that Mercedes grabbed her mug and headed back only to be stopped.

"I'm scared of my son finding the perfect woman only for her to hurt him in the end." Mary admitted.

Mercedes sat back down and looked at the older blonde almost as if she insulted her. "Mrs. Evans I could never hurt Sam even if I tried. My heart beats for him. He knows how to make me smile on my worst days. We both love hard and even on our worst days we're still better than many on their best."

"Mercedes when I hear my son talk so highly about you I can't help but feel intimidated. He talks about you like you're one of the most perfect people to walk into his life and I immediately feel replaced. I am no longer the woman he calls for advice, to lean on, or to take care of him. Mercedes he would call me when he had a paper cut now he's got you tending to him. I just don't feel like I'm his number one anymore and to be honest with you I'm not handling this very well."

"Mrs. Evans I am far from perfect. I'm not trying to replace you and with all due respect I'm not sure I want to. Sam speaks so highly of you. He lights up when he talks about you as a mother. I call my mom at least twice a day. We talk before she goes into work and as she comes home. She's the most important woman in my life so I understand. As for me being intimidating I've never gotten that before."

Mary looked at Mercedes and noticed her designer shoes and glasses. "My son mentioned that you came from money and although he doesn't care I just felt like we might be judged because of our living situation. Mercedes we didn't even have enough rooms for you and your friend to sleep in."

"Mrs. Evans I might've been raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, but my parents raised me to never judge anyone on what they had or didn't have. My mother said no matter how big or small your house is if you don't have the love inside then the size of the house doesn't matter. Mrs. Evans you have a lovely home and it is filled with love. I know many wealthy people with huge houses and no love inside of them. It's the most uncomfortable feeling whenever I visit them. What you have here is a million times better than what they have. You don't ever need to feel bad about your lovely house or the things inside. Other than our awkward interactions I had an amazing time here in your home and with your family."

Mary stood up and brushed her hair out of her face. She held her arms out and smiled.

Mercedes smile was bright and wide as she joined in her hug.

Mary held Mercedes face in her hands and looked at her. "You are such a blessing Mercedes. I want to apologize for my behavior and I would love to call you my family, but only if you forgive me."

"All is forgiven, ma'am."

Mary looked through the screen door and saw her kids eating her cupcakes. She wrapped an arm around Mercedes shoulder and pointed to her. "If Sam doesn't propose to you anytime soon you call me and I'll deal with him."

Mercedes giggled. "I'll take you up on that offer.

"Hands off of my cupcakes," Mary commanded which caused heads to turn.

A smile spread across Sam's face at the sight before him. "Did you two make up?"

Mercedes nodded.

"Aww." Sam sounded before he wrapped his arms around his two favorite women. Once Mary apologized to Mercedes the two really hit it off. Mercedes never held a grudge and wasn't going to start now. Mary said she would love to meet her parents and that she would love for Mercedes to come back especially during the holidays.

Mercedes was in her room when she got a knock at her door. She turned around and smiled at the tall blond. "Hey Stevie, come in here I have something for you." Mercedes pulled a rectangular box out of her suitcase and handed it to him. "Sam told me not to get you guys anything, but I wanted to. It's basically a thank you for," Mercedes was cut off with a hug. Mercedes smiled and returned the hug.

Stevie stood back and nervously looked at him sneakers. "I don't know what this is, but it doesn't even matter. I know new girlfriends don't want to hear about their boyfriends ex's, but I like you the most. Sam's past girlfriends weren't nice. They were selfish and they never talked to us other than to ask where Sam was. Stacy told me about the necklace you got her. She almost started to cry because of it. I hope you and my brother stay together and get married, but if you guys don't do you mind waitin' a few years?" He teased causing Mercedes to giggle.

"Absolutely," She hugged the young blond again and waited for him to open his present.

She noticed the expression on his face once he opened up the jewelry box. Mercedes noticed him try to hand it back, but she put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Stevie this is a thank you for being the greatest little brother that I never had. You are going to make someone very happy one day. Please keep it." She kissed his cheek and headed out with Mr and Mrs. Evans gift.

Sam saw Mercedes round the corner with gifts under her arm. He headed over to her to help. "Baby I said no gifts."

"I know, but I didn't want to come empty handed. My parents didn't raise me to be rude." Mercedes followed behind him.

Quinn and her parents left a few hours prior. Quinn and Mrs. Fabray promised to make a trip to Ohio soon. Quinn to visit Santana and Mrs. Fabray for more of Mercedes baked goods.

Paul saw his son and Mercedes enter the kitchen with gifts in hand. He held his hands up and shook his head. "If these are from Mercedes we don't want them. You being here was a gift in itself."

"Well thank you, but my mom said it's always polite to bring something when you go to someone's house. Since I didn't bring a dish I brought thank you gifts. Please say you'll accept them."

"Mercedes sweetie you make our son happy and that's more than enough." Mary shared. "We couldn't."

"Does nobody like gifts in this house?" Mercedes asked herself aloud.

"Mercedes gives gifts because it's a Tuesday at her bakery. She gave me a purse two weeks ago just because and we've been best friends since the third grade. That's just how she is. The gifts won't stop so I suggest you guys take them now or she'll collect them all and just send them to you on Christmas." Santana informed as she ate another cupcake.

"It's true." Mercedes added. "These are just a thank you gift for letting me stay in such a beautiful home with beautiful people. The trip might've started off rocky, but it was a smooth finish and I enjoyed myself."

Paul looked at his son and smiled. "Son, you have got a rare woman right here. She's beautiful, has a great smile, is kind,"

"Patient," Mary added.

"And she is extremely respectful. A rural woman with a southerner's heart. We're only taking these gifts because we loved having you as a guest in our home, but no more gifts for us young lady." Paul hugged Mercedes and kissed her cheek after he accepted her gifts.

Mercedes saw Mrs. Evans try to open the smaller box first. "That one you can open last." She informed.

Mercedes watched as they opened up their spa gift certificates with matching his and her robes. "Sam is always telling me that you guys work so hard and that you hardly get time to yourself. I want you guys to do something for yourselves and to relax."

They both thanked her for their gifts before moving on to the smaller box.

"Now before you guys open this and then try to hand it back to me just remember that I put a lot of thought into these." Mercedes blurted.

Paul opened up his box and it was the same chain that Mercedes got Sam for his birthday and his younger brother Stevie. "My mom and I have matching necklaces and I thought it would be kind of cool if you three had the same. Ours have roses on them, but I figured a plain gold chain would work just fine."

Sam held Mercedes close to him as she nervously squeezed onto his side.

"It's beautiful and thoughtful just like you Mercedes. Thank you." Mr. Evans kissed Mercedes cheek. He looked up and pointed to his son. "If you don't marry this woman I'm beating your ass."

Santana accidentally spit out her drink as she was caught off guard with the older gentleman's threat.

Mercedes watched as Mary covered her mouth and just stare at her gift. "Do you like it?"

Mary put the gift down and hugged Mercedes. She started crying on Mercedes shoulder.

Paul looked at the gift and was shocked at what he saw. "Oh Mercedes, how did you,"

"Sam told me. I remember losing someone special myself and how hard it was. I took the picture Sam had and used it to get the necklace made." Mercedes rubbed Mary's back.

Sam had no idea what Mercedes got them, but seeing her have so much love for his family that she had just met meant everything to him. He turned his head away from his dad putting the necklace on his mom to look at Mercedes. "Do you know how much I love you? I think you know only an ounce, but it's beyond words and actions. Mercedes I love you more than I love myself. I know that might sound crazy, but you show me how big and thoughtful your heart is every second of the day. You don't even ask for anything in return. Other people's happiness bring you joy and you are literally the least selfish person I know." He wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. "I don't have the money to buy you the ring that I deemed worthy enough to put on your finger. I know you don't want a big ring or a big wedding, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Mercedes saw her parents and brother walk in and then saw Sam on bending knee.

"Mercedes Lilian Jones will you make me an even happier man and be my wife?" Sam asked as the ring trembled in his hand.

Mercedes couldn't see because of the tears that filled up in her eyes. She didn't know if this was a plan all along or a dream, but he always made her happy and she knew no other answer for his question. "Yes."

Sam placed the ring on Mercedes' finger and stood up to kiss her. The sound of sobbing and cheering rang throughout his head, but the only one that mattered was her yes.

Santana was recording the engagement and wiping away her tears. Sam told her about the surprise engagement the weekend before. The two went shopping with Mrs. Jones and looked for a perfect ring. Since his first six months of meeting Mercedes Sam had been saving up every check for a ring. Mrs. Jones knew her daughter well enough to pick the perfect ring. Apparently so did Sam because his choice was perfect. It wasn't going to be flashy and it had to scream "Mercedes" as soon as they laid eyes on it.

Mercedes wiped away her tears and looked at her parents talking to Sam's parents. "Mommy how?"

"This boy had been planning this probably since he met you. He asked me and Santana to help him with rings last week. Congratulations baby." Mrs. Jones kissed her daughters cheek and embraced her.

"Sam,"

"I know. I was taking a huge gamble on this trip. When my mom was hesitant to meet you I was nervous about how this would turn out, but at the end of the day I didn't care. I was dead set on proposing to you anyways. Santana helped me set up the flights and once I got the text from your brother saying "we're outside" I knew now was the time. My parents didn't know until thirty minutes ago and Stacy and Stevie knew last night along with Quinn." Sam leaned down and kissed his future wife again. "You did say yes right?"

Mercedes giggled. "Yes."

A/N: I wanted a fluff piece. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think. I appreciate you all! Until next time!