When Michael Knapp brings his lover Dan Biggs home to meet his parents, he doesn't expect things to go smoothly. His mother's been trying to marry him off for years, and sometimes he isn't even sure his father knows he exists. He has always felt like the shadow son, competing with his terminally stupid older brother and smart-mouthed little sister for his parents' attention. Coming out to them over dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally get noticed.<br><br>But an unexpected phone call interrupts his announcement -- Aunt Evie, the family matriarch, is dead. With Dan in tow, Michael follows his family to Sugar Creek, where he spent his summers growing up, to prepare for the funeral.<br><br>Amid an overabundance of memories and relatives, Michael's world begins to slip. His dysfunctional family, Evie's death, and an old friend's confession all threaten to smother him. Worse, in his grief and confusion he seems determined to inadvertently push everyone away, including his lover. Can he and Dan move beyond his family and his past to a new life together, before Michael's insecurities tear them apart?

It's All Relative

Ignoring them both, I say, “Night, Dad.” He brushes me off—I’m interrupting his TV time here. In the hall, I wave at my mom and mouth the words, “Good night.” She’s still on the phone.


She looks up at me with large, teary eyes and covers the mouthpiece with one hand. “Remember what I said,” she tells me. She means the sex. I nod and roll my eyes, how old am I again? Please.


I feel Dan’s arm around my waist as I lead the way upstairs. My bedroom is much smaller than I remember, and the first thing I do when Dan closes the door behind us is fold up that damn cot and set it against the door like a barricade. Everything else looks exactly the same as it always has, and suddenly I’m in high school again, it all comes rushing back.


Chapter 10