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

A flirty shyness descends over me and suddenly I feel like I did when we first started dating, when everything between us was still new, we were both explorers in uncharted lands, and the slightest touch was enough to set me grinning like a fool for weeks on end. “I love you,” I say simply. My heart swells with the emotion and in this instant, I fall for him all over again. I love him completely. There’s no doubt in my mind that I do.


He moves closer. One arm eases around behind me, one hand on the ground by my hip as he leans against me, his chin on my shoulder. His breath flutters over my neck as he whispers, “What do you want me to take off, Michael?” His chest is so warm against my back, and on my arm he traces the pattern of my sweater. My body thrills to his touch.


Clearing my throat, I hope I sound coy and unaffected when I tease, “I thought we just came out here to talk.”


Chapter 110