Tom Foster has his life planned out, and he's systematically pursuing his goals. At twenty-two, he's been organist and choirmaster at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd for three years, he's working on his doctoral thesis, and he's beginning a secondary career performing in concert. There is no room in his schedule for romance ... until Noah Webster, a gorgeous green-eyed blond, walks into the church one evening to audition for the choir.<br><br>What starts as an arrangement of convenience -- Tom's usual page turner is unavailable, and Noah agrees to do the job-soon turns into a fast friendship. Then Noah, who is saddled with an obnoxious roommate, rents the spare bedroom in Tom's house, and ultimately the two men become lovers and partners in life.<br><br>But before they can ride off into the sunset together, they must face one major obstacle: Noah's violent, homophobic Southern Baptist father.

Love Turns the Page

“Hi, Grandpa,” Noah said. “I want you to meet Tom. Tom, this is my grandfather.”


“Dr. Foster, I presume,” Mr. Walker said.


“Tom will do nicely,” he said, shaking the man’s hand. “The doctor part is still so new that I’m not quite used to it, and frankly, outside of the university, I think it sounds kind of pretentious.”


“Nonsense, young man, you worked hard for that title, and you’re entitled to wear it proudly wherever and whenever you like.”


“You look awfully young to have already earned a doctorate,” Mr. Walker said. “However did you manage to do that?”


“I graduated from high school at sixteen. It was actually a private college preparatory school, and I had enough AP credits that I started at UNF as a technical junior—that is to say, I was a junior de facto, but not de jure.”


Chapter 44