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

On our left, Grosso’s slides by, almost there.Maybe if I’m lucky, we can sneak inside without anyone knowing that we’ve returned, we can slip into the back room without being seen, I won’t have to share him with anyone else just yet. It looks like I might get my wish after all, because when we round the bend and the house comes into view, the porch is empty, there’s no one outside. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding—I guess there was some part of me that almost expected to see Caitlin out on the swing, or my dad ready to put Dan to work, or even Ray with that damn bag of warm milk still in his arms. But we’re still alone. It’s just the two of us against the world, thank the Lord. As Dan glides the car into the spot we vacated hours before, I tweak his ear and am only half joking when I suggest, “Maybe we can wait herefor the rain to let up.”


Chapter 119