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 shake my head to push the thought away. I’m not going to think of anyone on the other side of that door—just Dan, he’s the only thing that exists right now. “You’re tired,” I tell him, and he nods as I rub his shoulders, his back. “You’re so good to me, driving all that way.” My hands caress along the sensitive skin beneath his arms, making him giggle a bit beneath me. “Giving up your leave for me. What would I do without you?”


“I don’t want to know,” he admits. His voice is muffled where his head rests in his arms. “I won’t let you find out.”


Chapter 48