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 don’t want to lose my little boy!”


“You don’t know that that’s going to happen.”


“I know, Wiley. I know. This stuff with the tornado and your grandfather has stirred up all kinds of crap, but you’re going to be fine.”


“Yes, I do,” he said confidently. “You’ve got your family. They love you very much, regardless of what you might think. You’ve got your community—look at all those people out there trying to help you out. And you’ve got me. You’ve got friends. You’ve got people who love you and care about you, and when push comes to shove, they’re going to be there for you. So I know you’re going to be all right. At the moment, you’re just overloading the circuits a little bit, but you’ll be fine. You’re the strongest person I know, Wiley, and you’re going to be just fine.”


He pulled me a little closer, and I allowed myself to be held.


Chapter 100