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

“It’s going to take more than your son to kill me off, apparently.”


“Excellent!” he exclaimed. “We’ll wait for you just outside.”


“I’m sure your car will be perfectly adequate.”


They collected their purchases and ambled off.


I’d swear to God they were the oddest people I ever knew, but I ain’t big on swearing to God, so I’ll just say it takes all sorts and leave it at that. 59: Not Sure I Care


The conversation moved rather woodenly from one topic to the next: the weather, the content of our daily newspaper (“thin,” Mr. Ledbetter opined), their recent visit to the Tupelo Automobile Museum, their visit to the hardware store down the block where Elvis bought his first guitar, their frustration at the hotel’s spotty Internet service. Not a word was said concerning Jackson Ledbetter, the DHS, crippled women in wheelchairs, rehab, peeing in a cup.


Chapter 83