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

At the car, I hold the passenger side door open and she pouts at me. “Get in,” I say gently. She doesn’t obey, just stands behind the trunk and glares at the ground. “Cat, please. I would but…” I look at Dan beside me for help.


“But what?” he wants to know. Damnhim. Gesturing at the road, he points out, “There’s no one around, Michael. What’s a few miles going to hurt?”


Pouting harder, Caitlin waits until I look at her to say, “Aunt Evielet me drive.”


“When?” I ask, suspicious. Mom letting her drive is one thing, Evie is something else entirely. Evie’s the coolest person I’ve ever known, relative or not, and if shelet Caitlin drive, then why can’t I do the same? “Caitlin, if you’re lying—”


Chapter 38