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 cling to Dan and, my face hidden against him like a shy child’s, I can admit that I’m sorry. “I’ve disappointed my mom,” I whisper. “I didn’t…I didn’t think she’d take it this bad, you know? She’s acting as if I’m gay just to spite her.”


“It’s going to take time,” Dan murmurs, his hands soothing on my back. “You can’t just expect her to be okay with it, Mike. It’s taken you twenty-five years to get to the point where you’re comfortable enough to tell her. You have to give her awhile to get comfortable with it, too.”


Chapter 116