Charles and Philip Barnett have settled down to raise their children, but their domesticity is disrupted when Philip's nephew Steve is delivered to their doorstep early one morning after being beaten senseless by his homophobic father.<br><br>So the family grows, but of course, that's the easy part. A rabidly fundamentalist sheriff and a gay-bashing incident leave Steve and his new boyfriend in legal hot water and at the mercy of the deputies' harassment, and Charles must once again take up the fight for justice for his loved ones.

Triumph

I tapped lightly on Steve’s door, but there was no answer, so I opened the door and looked in. The television was on with the volume turned down low, and the two of them were out cold on the bed, still fully dressed. Steve was flat on his back, Roger was snuggled up against him, and Lance was curled up in a ball at their feet.


Lance looked up at us, and Charles pointed to the door and said softly, “Lance, bed.” The dog gave him a “who, me?” look of reproach, hopped off the bed, and left the room.


“I guess there’s no point in disturbing them,” Mason said quietly. He and Angela moved around the bed, pulling the boys’ shoes off and spreading a comforter over them. Charles went to the television to turn it off, and I elected to turn off Steve’s computer.


Chapter 46