A trip to visit his boyfriend Nate’s parents during the holidays leaves Emerson a nervous wreck. Bad weather and an unfortunate mix-up leads to an awkward first introduction, and as things deteriorate from there, Emerson begins to doubt if their relationship will survive the stressful weekend. Can Emerson get everything back on track and impress the Collins family in time to have a Merry Christmas? —- “Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Collins. I’m Emerson Brady. Nate’s boyfriend?” The last part wasn’t supposed to come out like a question, but he grew more and more apprehensive at the blank look on their faces. What the hell is going on? He wondered as the nerves he’d been holding at bay for most of the day finally let loose. Nate’s parents just stared at him, blinking, but utterly still otherwise, neither reaching for his hand. Emerson looked around for a moment, feeling like someone was pulling a prank on him. “This is the right house, isn’t it?” He looked over at Nate, surprised to see that he was just as frozen, a horrified, uncomfortable expression on his face. “Nate?” he asked, his voice cracking a little. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?” Nate finally seemed to rouse himself. “Mom, dad, this is Em. I’ve told you a lot about him, remember?” Mrs. Collins nodded and gave Emerson a tight smile before looking over at her son. “Come in please.” Her voice sounded stiff and strained, and Emerson apprehensively followed them into the house. No one spoke as the boys dumped their bags on the tiled entryway, shrugged out of their coats, and unlaced their boots. Emerson felt like he was choking on the tension as he silently followed everyone into the living room, the warmth of the home almost painful on his chilled skin. It was a bright and cheerful space with carols playing in the background and a fat Christmas tree that took up one corner of the room. The tree was covered in a dazzling array of white lights and a hodgepodge of ornaments that had clearly been collected over the years alongside some red globes and a bright yellow star on top. In fact, as Emerson took a seat on the sofa next to Nate, he decided that was the ambiance of the entire house. Warm and welcoming, with a mismatched yet somehow appealing collection of furniture and decor. It was an orderly, well-loved home for a family. And yet, that family was not the loving, happy one Emerson had expected from the stories Nate had told him about. Mr. and Mrs. Collins sat stiffly on the couch across from them. Mr. Collins glowered at them, and although Nate bore a passing resemblance to his dark haired, dark eyed father, it was hard to believe anyone who looked so unhappy could ever be related to Nate. Nate was always cheerful, always ready to look on the bright side of things and see the best in people. Mrs. Collins looked equally uncomfortable. Her features were more like Nate’s, although of a lighter coloring. With her unflattering jeans and shapeless red sweater, she looked like just about any other suburban mom, but her expression was pinched and she perched on the edge of the sofa like she was about to bolt. Emerson couldn’t take the silence a moment longer and he turned to look at Nate. “What is going on here?” he asked in an urgent whisper. “Why are they staring at me like I’m a zoo animal?” Although he tried to be quiet, it came out a little louder than he intended and he heard Mr. Collins clear his throat. Mrs. Collins was the one who spoke though. “Well, um, Emerson was it?” He nodded. “When Nate told us he was bringing his partner home for Christmas we thought it was an uh, female someone.”