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

But maybe she knows that my reply would be something along the lines of, “And he’s not happy, Mom. Barely employed, alone, still living at home. Do you honestly want me to be like that?” No, better not to bring Ray up at all. That’s an issue he has with her, I’m not going to allow myself to be dragged into the middle of it. I simply smile and ask, “So we’re okay?”


That short laugh again, and a tight smile. “I’m okay, you’re okay,” she says, then pats my arm. “Go on, Mikey. Let me put my face on, will you?”


With a final hug, I rise to my feet and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Caitlin looks pretty in that dress,” I tell her, for no reason at all.


The sardonic look she gives me makes me grin. “She looks like she’s going to a damn cocktail party,” she mutters. “Wears black every day of the year except the one time she needsto. I swear that girl is so contrary.” When I laugh, she frowns at me. “Why are you laughing, mister? You’re just as bad.”


Chapter 165