Free Marrying Mister Perfect by Lizzie Shane

been all too quiet. The mood
subdued. Last night bath time was somber, story-time eerily silent.
He would have written it off as the kids bracing for his absence,
but he got the distinct impression they were picking up the mood
from Lou.
    He’d known that she was the source of the
life in his house, but it had never been drawn in more sharp relief
than in the last couple days.
    Growing up, achievement had been held above
all else for Jack. His parents had never really latched onto the
whole parenting thing, though they’d liked the idea of a legacy.
The fact that he would be a doctor was a foregone conclusion—though
he was allowed to pick his specialty. He was just lucky it turned
out he loved the career that had been chosen for him by the Doctors
Doyle at birth.
    It hadn’t been a bad childhood. He hadn’t
been unhappy, but his house had never been what he would have
described as fun. Jack had wanted things to be different for his
kids. And Lou had been a huge part of that.
    And now she was standing away from him, arms
wrapped around her middle, holding herself in a way that was
intensely self-contained, as if she was afraid to touch him.
    Communication had never really been his
strong suit. He wasn’t really excellent at picking up on subtle
emotional cues, but even he knew something was different. He didn’t
want to go through this crazy TV-show thing without her on his
side. Lou was his best friend. His anchor. He needed her.
    He didn’t feel ready for this, but he’d run
out of time to gear himself up. In two days he would meet the women
among whom the show’s producers hoped would be his perfect match.
Until then, his time would be consumed by last minute wardrobe
fittings and interviews.
    The adventure started now.
    Even though Jack had never been the type to
balk in the face of a challenge, he stalled in the doorway,
reluctant to leave. His life had fallen into such a comfortable,
familiar routine these last four years and now every second of
every day was going to be foreign and new.
    In theory, he still wanted this experience.
In reality, he couldn’t make himself walk out the door.
    “Lou…” When she looked up at him, there was a
flicker of something vulnerable in her eyes. There then gone. “If
you change your mind about this, you can tell me anytime you want
to pull the plug and it’s over. Just say the word.”
    She ducked her head. Wisps of her hair
escaped from her ponytail and hung around her face. He could smell
the faint, familiar whiff of her peach shampoo. “We’ll see you next
weekend for the first visit. You’ll be so busy you won’t even miss
us.”
    “It should be me giving you a pep talk.
You’re the one who has to deal with the demolitionist children by
yourself.”
    Lou laughed, the sound oddly forced. “Are you
kidding? Between Kelly and the grandparents all begging to help out
while you’re away, I’ll be lucky if I ever get to see the
kids.”
    Hesitation still hovered in the air, along
with that sense of distance. Jack caught her hand and Lou lifted
startled eyes to his at the contact. “Have I told you how grateful
I am for everything you’ve done for us? For everything you’ve done
for me?”
    Lou blushed and tucked her chin down,
embarrassed as ever by any hint of praise. “You never had to, Jack.
I already know.”
    “I should still say it.”
    Lou smiled, but didn’t raise her eyes. “We
don’t talk about stuff like that.”
    Jack frowned, realizing the truth in her
words. They talked about the kids, about his work, about the broken
washing machine or remodeling the kitchen. They talked about what
movie to rent or which restaurant to go to. He knew she hated
brussel sprouts and liked any movie set in a foreign locale. He
knew how she felt about every detail of their day-to-day lives
together, but they never talked about the mushy feelings stuff. In
the short time since the show had come into their lives, they’d
probably talked more about how they felt