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

Uncle Doug looks past me at the house, then turns back to the bench to wipe up excess proofing before it can drip. “Where’s Dan?” he asks. “Your dad’s looking for him.”


“I know.” I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and with a smug wink, I tell them, “He’s…preoccupiedat the moment. You know how it is.” 


Kenny whoops loudly—he’s not as dense as Ray can be. “That boy is whipped,” he says. I shrug, embarrassed, but I like the awe shining in their wide eyes, their wicked grins. Jerking a thumb at me, he tells Doug, “Color me impressed. He’s got a soldier in his room just beggingfor it.”


Chapter 128