Years have gone by since the death of Noah his special needs son, and Wiley Cantrell realizes it’s time to move on. He and his husband Jackson try to adopt little Tony Gorzola, a deaf boy with HIV who is emotionally traumatized.<br><br>Difficulties quickly set in. Tony is a sweet boy but very damaged by abuse and neglect. And Tony’s mother, in prison, is unwilling to relinquish her parental rights. No sooner do they get the go ahead to foster Tony when another child they had considered becomes available -- the daughter Jackson always wanted.<br><br>With two children on their hands, life is complicated -- wonderfully so. But just as things begin to settle down, Tony, his immune system compromised, falls ill with pneumonia ... and Wiley and Jackson find their little family faced with crisis once again.

Go Tell It on the Mountains

“Do you want me to grovel?” I asked. “Because I will. I’ll grovel for you, Jackson Ledbetter. Should I prostrate myself? You know, like priests do, when they get ordained? Will a few prostrations make you feel better?”


“I tried once. It was the worst thirteen minutes of my life.”


“You made it for thirteen minutes without saying something? I’m surprised it’s not in the Guinness Book of World Records.”


“I hate you sometimes, Wiley. You know that?”


“I’m being completely serious here. I sometimes hate your fucking guts and don’t know why the hell I stay. I’d put my foot up your ass, but your head is in the way.”


“Thank you. I’m not perfect, but at least I’m Southern.”


“But then there’s part of me that loves you. God knows why. But I used to be addicted to ecstasy, so what do I know?”


Chapter 53