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’m fine. 28: Dinner at Mama’s House


We picked up Jackson’s parents at the hotel, and as we drove to New Albany, we got an earful about Faulkner’s house while Jackson fiddled anxiously with the radio, trying to find a news station to get updates on the tornado watch. What he received were gospel singings, sermons, and dispatches from right wing radio talk shows. We conveniently pretended that I hadn’t stormed off from the restaurant the other night, and we said not a word about the lovely folks at the DHS visiting our apartment the day before.


“I hate your frikkin’ tornadoes,” Jackson muttered.


“Nothing’s going to happen,” I replied easily.


“I’ve lived here my whole life and have never once seen a tornado,” I replied. “And I don’t plan on starting today. Haven’t you ever been to a hurricane party? You need to get out more.”


“It’ll be fine,” I said. “Honestly.”


Chapter 41