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

“Michael,” she warned. I could tell from her tone of voice that I was pushing it. Beside her, my dad added, “Get to bed, buddy.”


I didn’t move. Aunt Evie sat up and, pushing herself off the loveseat, admonished, “Leave him be, Harry.” With wide eyes, I watched her cross the room, until she loomed above me, and I let her take my hand. “Come on, Mikey. A glass of warm milk should set you right.”


“Ray—” I tried, peering around Evie into the living room.


Deftly she closed the door on the others and led me into the kitchen. “I’ll give him a talk,” she promised, her large hand easily enveloping mine. “If he keeps it up, I’ll just have to move him in with the girls. I don’t think he’ll like that much, do you?”


Chapter 56