"Jeff, Rebecca, can I talk to you?" Teddy asked nervously, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Of course, Ted." Jeff responded, gesturing for him to take a seat. Rebecca smiled at him as she washed up the plates from dinner. A small crease wrinkled her forehead as she saw the nearly full plate which was Billy's.
"What's on your mind, Theodore?" She inquired. Even after all this time of Teddy being a regular in the Kaplan house, she still insisted on calling him 'Theodore' (which Teddy didn't mind honestly – even if it did make it hard to tell when she was annoyed with him).
"I'm worried about Billy. It's been months and... I'm just worried about him." Teddy admitted guiltily taking a seat. He rested his forearms on the table with one hand covering the other.
"Billy just needs some time to get his thoughts together. He'll be fine. It just must have been hard to meet his... his mother." Rebecca said consolingly, her voice catching slightly on the last two words.
"Only in spirit. You're still his real mother and he still loves you." Teddy replied truthfully. Rebecca smiled at him and turned back around to finish washing up.
"Rebecca's right, Billy will come around, after he's figured it all out." Jeff added, turning the page of his newspaper.
"There's something else." Teddy stated, not looking at either adult. "I... I want to... I want to propose to Billy. And I-" He said haltingly. Rebecca cut him off by throwing her (still wet from washing up) arms around him, squeezing the air out his lungs. Jeff smiled and clapped him on the back.
"You've got our permission, son." Jeff promised.
"We know how much you two care for each other and we know you two will be happy together." Rebecca released him, a small gleam in her eyes. Teddy smiled. The Kaplan's had accepted him without a second thought (Tommy, too) and they loved him like their own. They were his family as well now. And Billy was the boy he loved and wanted to marry.
"Thank you. I think I'll go see Billy before I turn in. Good night." Teddy said, standing up. He kept his fist clenched as he walked out. The small velvet box dug into his palm and he slipped it into his pocket. He peered into the room where Billy had always sat for the last few months and flicked on the lights.
"Billy, it's been months..."