"Kendall?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm helping my mom with dinner right now."

Kendall hesitated. Jo had gone home to North Carolina for the holiday, obviously, and was now probably standing in the kitchen with her family around her. Most likely they were listening in intently knowing the story of what Kendall did.

"Kendall, you still there?"

"Uh, yeah. If this is a bad time I can just—I can call back later." He leaned his head back against his bedroom door having sat back down in the spot after retrieving his phone.

"No, this is good." He figured she covered the phone with her hand because the next thing sounded muffled. "I need to…yes, but I have to talk to him."

"I'm sorry," Kendall repeated when Jo returned to the phone.

"It's okay. Mom and Grandma can handle the cooking just fine. Honestly, I think I just get in the way."

Kendall heard a door open.

"Where are you?"

"At home in North Carolina."

"No, I mean…"

"Oh, I'm on the front porch sitting on the garden swing. How's your Thanksgiving?"

"Good. Watched Lucy in the parade."

"I saw that."

"James's pretty excited about the song."

"Yeah."

"Yeah." Kendall paused. He wasn't sure of what to say. He had to know. Were they breaking up? But, he couldn't just ask that. Could he?"

"I'm sorry for saying no," Jo said.

"It's okay. I mean, okay, it's not okay, but it's your right."

"I wanted to talk to you the next morning before I left."

"We probably should have talked, but I was…"

"Too mad? It really wasn't the best time for us to talk with our emotions so high."

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I just needed some time."

"I know." He heard her sigh on the other end.

"How's your Thanksgiving?" Kendall asked abruptly.

"Good. Living out in LA, when I come home now, I get treated like the guest. It's pretty nice."

"I bet."

"Yeah, but my parents still treat me like a child. I'm nineteen! I live on my own."

"I…can't actually relate to that."

"You are nineteen."

"But, I don't live on my own and my mom's been treating me like an adult for a long while. It helps that she's needed me to be the man of the house."

"Yeah. Kendall, why did you propose that night?"

He wasn't expecting that question.

"Because I love you. Jo," he continued, "I know you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Being here apart from you has shown me just how much I miss you, how much I need you in my life."

"That's so sweet."

"Are you crying?"

"I—" she sniffled. "That's so sweet. I love you, too. But, don't you think we're too young?"

"You said it yourself. You're nineteen. You live on your own."

"Yeah, but I only just—"

"So, when it comes to your parents you want to be treated like an adult, but when it comes to me you're just fine being a child?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Kendall!"

"Then what, Jo? You obviously don't want to marry me. Why?" Kendall wanted to bang his head against the door but he didn't want to attract the attention of anyone on the other side. He wondered if anyone was actually standing on the other side listening. Probably. He sighed.

"I wasn't expecting you to propose to me. I was scared, stunned, surprised, shocked…I wasn't expecting it. Marriage is a life changing event."

"It's not like we just started dating. We've been together for a few years now."

"Not consecutively. And you dated Lucy in the middle there."

"Oh come on! You're not going to throw that in my face? We didn't actually date."

"Oh, right, half a date."

"Seriously?"

"No," she said softly. "I do love you and this separation has hurt."

"But?"

"But, I just feel…I want my parents to treat me like an adult, but I still feel like a kid. And that's what brings the hesitation. I don't know if I'm ready to get married."

"Me neither, but I know that when I do get married I want it to be to you."

"And I want it to be to you."

"Jo!...wait, what?"

Jo giggled.

"I do want to marry you, Kendall. I've dreamed about standing in front of the altar with you. It's never been anyone else. It's always you. But, it's a pretty scary thing when the realization comes that it could actually come true."

"I know that with you by my side it will be less scary."

"Oh," Jo's voice hitched. "Kendall…Hold on…" She covered up the speaker and this time Kendall couldn't hear what was going on. "Dinner's ready."

"Well, I don't want to hold you up."

"I told them this is an important phone call and they're just going to have to wait."

"I don't want anyone mad over you making the turkey get cold."

"You're more important than a turkey. A-ask me again."

"What?"

"Ask me again," she repeated.

"Over the phone? This is so impersonal."

"Just do it."

"How is your Thanksgiving?"

"No, dummy!"

"All right, all right." Kendall took a deep breath. "I wish I could see your face. I wish I could hold your hand and…"

"Just shut up and ask me again!"

He took another deep breath.

"Will you marry me?"

The pause may have only been a second, maybe even just half a second, but it felt like a lifetime to Kendall. He was sure Jo could hear his heart pounding over the phone.

"Yes."

On his knees, Kendall thrust open his bedroom door, surprised to find no one in the hall, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "SHE SAID YES!"