When Tim Whittaker’s best friend Jake Thorn announces he’s getting married to his girlfriend Jenna Riley, Tim tells him he’s making a mistake. Tim, who’s been in love with Jake for years, wants his best friend to be with him instead. While Tim and Jake deal with their issues, Jake’s older brother Caleb is dealing with issues of his own as he enters into a secret relationship with Jenna’s newly-divorced father David, who wants to keep his homosexuality hidden from his daughter. Thorns in My Side explores the secrets, lies, and love between brothers who grapple with friends, lovers, and each other while trying to keep their lives, and the lives of those around them, from spinning out of control.

Is blood thicker than water? Graduate student Jonathan Crawford finds out after he makes a play for his Uncle Ray’s boyfriend, Case Larson. From the moment Jonathan meets Case, he’s immediately attracted to the handsome real estate agent. And the fact that Case and Ray are seeing each other doesn’t stop Jonathan from trying to secretly hook up with his uncle’s friend. But things quickly fall apart when Ray finds out what his nephew has been up to and confronts him.

While Caleb Thorn was a junior at the University of Michigan, he had a relationship with a wealthy and closeted auto executive named Alex Hale. When Alex contacts Caleb fourteen years later to meet, Caleb finds himself experiencing a flood of memories about Alex. At the start of their relationship, Caleb was enamored with Alex and enjoyed having a secret relationship with a sexy older man who bought him expensive gifts, but he soon comes to realize those gifts come with a price. Alex controls every aspect of their relationship and Caleb often finds himself on the receiving end of Alex’s insults and hurtful behavior. Caleb quickly realizes having a sugar daddy can be both sweet and sour.