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

“Daddy!” Noah exclaimed unhappily, patting my chest, trying to get my attention. “Hooooh! Daddy?”


Each time Noah banged my chest, sharp pains shot through it.


“Wiley, what is it?” Mama asked after a long minute, suddenly concerned. “You know you’re not supposed to be crying. You’re just upset about Papaw. We all are, sweetie.”


“Why can’t you ever listen to me, Mama?” I asked, feeling miserable and angry. “I know what happened because I was there. But you weren’t there, and you wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell you afterward, so don’t stand there now and say it never happened. How the hell would you know?”


“If somebody ever did something like that to Noah, I’d go after that bastard and blow his fucking brains out. But you just stand there and say it never happened because you don’t want to know. Well, good for you! Every time I tell the truth, you tell me how awful I am. For once in your life, why can’t you listen to me?”


Chapter 61