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 stood up, and Papaw took me by the hand.


I felt like I was in a dream, like none of this was real, like I was sleeping and would soon wake up.


Someone called my name. I looked over my shoulder and saw a lot of people sitting there, but no was paying any attention to me.


Papaw and I walked slowly to the front where the casket was. I felt the reassuring weight of Papaw’s arm around my shoulder as he pulled me a bit closer and walked more slowly to accommodate me.


Billy went straight up to the casket, looked down at Daddy for a long moment, said nothing, made the sign of the cross, turned around, and walked back to his seat.


Papaw steered me closer, and I rubbed at my eyes and tried to stop crying.


Chapter 53