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

“Help me!” I ordered Jackson, who stood there watching with a look of horror on his face.


We got Noah to the bed and held him as he thrashed and moaned.


Miss Susan and Miss Cynthia watched with uncomfortable expressions on their faces.


“He does this when he gets scared,” I said, feeling I needed to explain.


“There’s no reason for him to be scared,” Miss Susan replied.


“No reason?” I repeated, incredulous. “You come into my home and threaten us and you say there’s no reason for him to get scared?”


“No one is threatening you, Mr. Wiley,” she said in her patient, plodding voice.


As the wind in Noah’s sails died down, I gathered him to me, and he put his ear against my throat to feel the vibrations in my voice.


“There’s some more unexplained injuries for you,” I said to Miss Susan, all but spitting the words at her because I was so mad. Noah’s forehead was already bruising.


Chapter 34