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

“I’m here for you,” Dan reminds me. I try for a halfhearted smile, but it comes out as a grimace and I quickly give up. Leaving my hand in his lap, Dan reaches out and touches my cheek. “Michael? Look at me.” I do, but only from the corner of my eye. “What’s the worse that can happen?”


My mom,I think—nothing specific comes to mind, but knowing her, she’ll find some way to make my life hell at Sugar Creek. I already suspect that I’ll never return when this week is over. Evie’s funeral will be the last pilgrimage any of us make. Without her, it just won’t be the same.


Chapter 34