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 pull my door shut and try not to think about how many car accidents I’ve seen or heard about. “Ten miles,” I remind her. She nods. 


I take a deep breath and look at Dan in the rearview mirror but can’t quite return his smile. “Okay,” I sigh. “I’m in. Go slow,” I caution, before her foot’s even off the brake. “Check your mirror first. Caitlin, watch it—”


“Jeez,” she mutters as she eases out onto the road. “You’re worse than Mom.”


I’m not sure if I should be offended or flattered by that. 12: Getting There


With Caitlin behind the wheel, we creep down the road, easily twenty miles below the posted speed limit. “You can pick it up a little bit,” I tell her, resisting the urge to push her aside and step on the gas myself. At this rate, we won’t get to Aunt Evie’s until noon tomorrow.


Chapter 39