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

In a small voice, I admit it aloud. “My fault,” I say. There’s no weight lifted from my heart, the pain in my chest isn’t dulled in the least, and the admission brings with it fresh tears. But they’re softer this time, a gentle, cleansing rain, washing away the lump in my throat that formed when I saw in Stephen’s large eyes his hopes and dreams shatter the instant he realized I didn’t love him back. So I say it again, “My fault,” and Dan holds onto me as I cry it out, my fault. Not Dan’s, not Stephen’s, mine


At some point I start telling him about Stephen because I think I have to, but my voice is strained. He wants to hear this, right? Even though it’s gone to me, it means nothing anymore, Dan told me to talk…“Michael,” he interrupts, kissing me quiet. I look up at him and there is no anger or judgment staring back—only love. Just the man I’ve always seen when I look at him. “This is our place,” he tells me. “Not Stephen’s. Unless you really want to talk about him…”


Chapter 112