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 stared at Billy in helpless horror, knowing Daddy would whup my ass so badly I probably wouldn’t sit down for a week.


“Did youdo it?” Daddy demanded, turning his angry stare on Billy.


“I didn’t mean to, Daddy!” Billy exclaimed fearfully.


And just like that, Billy took responsibility for what I’d done—and, Jesus, what a price he paid. Daddy grabbed an extension cord, gathered it up to make a belt, forced Billy to drop his drawers, and beat him to within an inch of his life. It went on so long I finally broke down and tried to help him. I grabbed the cord, hoping to make Daddy stop. Instead he lashed out at me with it, and we both wound up getting a whipping until Mama screamed so much that Daddy stopped. At that point, Billy had blood on his buttocks and legs, and I was crying so badly I couldn’t breathe. Billy got far worse than I did that day, and I had never understood why he’d taken my punishment when he knew how bad it would be.


Chapter 70