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’m not surprised when no one answers.


The door to the back room is closed, just as I left it. Thinking Dan’s inside, probably getting dressed, I knock as I turn the knob and step inside. “Hey, babe—”


I look up and see her sitting at the foot of the bed, back against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest and her skirt pulled down to cover her legs. Only the toes of her shoes can be seen beneath the billows of that dress. Closing the door behind me, I tell her, “Get your shoes off my bed.”


She does so without a word. I look around the room as if Dan could possibly be hiding somewhere, but he’s not. It’s just me and Caitlin. “If you’re looking for lover boy,” she says, “he’s back in the bathroom. Came in wearing nothing but a grin—”


“Cat,” I warn, jealousy rising in me at the thought of my sister checking out my man.


Chapter 168