When his snobbish future in-laws travel all the way from Boston to visit, wise-cracking Southerner Wiley Cantrell learns gay marriage is not without its disadvantages. He’s preoccupied by concerns over the health of his special needs son Noah, a meth baby who was not expected to live yet is now on the cusp of puberty, and the antics of Wiley's outrageous would-be mother-in-law and severely conservative father-in-law strain his relationship with Jackson Ledbetter, a pediatric nurse who poses problems of his own. As their respective families meet and greet, each just as meddlesome and inflexible as the other, North meets South and the fireworks and cultural misunderstandings are plenty.<br><br>Then a tornado blows through the small Mississippi town where Wiley's mother lives, wrecking his mother's house and leaving their lives in disarray. And Jackson's secret drug addiction comes to light, devastating Wiley and Noah. With so many stones in the road, Wiley and Jackson find their dream of becoming a real family falling apart. Though Wiley relies on humor to cope, he'll need something more to keep his happily ever after from slipping away.

Stones in the Road

“I can’t stand this anymore,” I said, and it was true. Suddenly, like some faucet of outrage had been turned on, I was furious, fed up and not about to be silent anymore. “The only reason why you’re here is because I’m gay—like that somehow means I’m not fit to be a parent. It’s the same thing I’ve heard every day since Noah was born, but I’ve been a hell of a lot more of a parent to him than his own mother was.”


“We are familiar with the situation concerning Noah’s mother,” Miss Susan said.


“His deadmother,” I pointed out. “She’d be here now, but she overdosed on meth after running off with her meth-head boyfriend. But she was straight, so I guess that’sall right.”


“No, it wasn’t all right, Mr. Wiley,” Miss Susan said. “Her behavior landed her in jail and ultimately cost her her life. Her sexuality had nothing to do with it. And sexuality is not why we’re here today.”


Chapter 32