When seventeen-year-old Mark Potts fell from a balcony, he lost both the use of his legs and any faith in heroes. Now twenty-nine, he’s long-since come to terms with his injury. His job provides more opportunities for eye-rolling than for riding to anybody’s rescue, but with two kids to bring up, he barely has time for his husband, much less for heroics. Besides, Starr Bradford is a policeman -- how many heroes does one family need?<br><br>Mark and Starr love each other madly, but stress management is a load-bearing pillar of their happiness. When Mark’s coping skills fail him at exactly the wrong moment, he’s left hanging by a thread of words he should’ve kept in his mouth. He has the power to repair their relationship, but when Starr’s workday suddenly goes south, will he get to wield it? Keeping it together long enough to find out is a job worthy of any superhero!

You Had Me at Hero

Maura was pulling away when Mark arrived, so he just fell in at the back of the line and inched along, singing along with Ernestine Anderson on the local jazz radio station. At last he made it to the front of the line. Jory’s teacher, a young cub-type just out of college with Starrs in his eyes, came around to offer Mark’s hand a hearty shake as both right-side doors flew open.


“Mr. Bradford-Potts,” said Mr. Kushner. “Good afternoon.”


“I’m begging you to call me Mark,” Mark said, as he did every day.


“You guys have a good day today?” Mark pitched this question to give Mr. Kushner the chance to say anything about Jory’s school day he felt needed saying, but he merely chorused along with the boys:


“Daddy,” Jarrett said, sliding into shotgun, “can Matteo come with us to baseball practice?”


“Matteo, you need a ride to baseball practice?”


Chapter 7