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 can’t afford anything else,” I pointed out.


“Bill knows someone at his church who has a small house over in Sherman that I’m going to rent,” Mama said. “There would be room for you and Noah.”


“But you can’t live in public housing again. I could watch Noah for you. You could find a better job. You wouldn’t have to worry about him. You could get better hours, make more money. Please. Think about it.”


“I was thinking about going to California, actually,” I said.


“Wiley!” Mama pronounced my name like it was a curse.


“You can’t be serious,” Bill said, appalled.


“That would be so cool,” Mary said, her eyes flashing. “I could come to visit you!”


“You’re not going to California,” Bill said dismissively.


“Sometimes I get the feeling there’s more to life than Tupelo, Mississippi,” I said.


Chapter 85