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

“He didn’t make it, bro,” Bill said, reaching out to take my good hand. “Now, don’t get upset. Too much crying and carrying on and you could—”


“What do you mean, he didn’t make it?”


“He didn’t make it,” Bill said softly.


“You’re sorry about what? Billy! Jesus Christ!”


“Now don’t get upset, bro. For once in your frikkin’ life, will you please listen to me? The nurse said to breathe out through your mouth so you don’t put pressure on the bones in your face…You don’t want to make things worse than they are.”


A bitter grief swept through me, followed by agonizing tears that I was helpless to prevent


I felt like my whole word had just collapsed.


A nurse was summoned, who injected something or other into my IV line. I wanted to ask what it was, but I fell asleep instead. 35: There Is Some Concern


Chapter 57