I’d already dumped way too much stuff on him, but I was incapable of stopping at this point. Why try to hide how fucked-up my family really was? “Mom had me via a sperm donor. She said she wasn’t meeting any good guys, and she didn’t want to wait for a baby. So she picked out some dude in a catalogue and got pregnant.”

He fell back into the chair, brows lifted in surprise. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow. So I don’t get a dad because she wants to schedule me into her life with the least amount of mess possible.”

He was silent for a while. I waited, expecting him to agree and cite his religious views regarding God’s wrath about having babies outside of marriage. I knew the church was strict, with narrow views on conception, sex outside of marriage, and the LGBTQ community. Instead, he managed to shock me with his next words. “I can see how hard it’d be not having a father who can share your life. Even with divorced couples, the child gets a mom and dad. But your mom wanted you so badly, she chose you. Every step she took revolved around bringing you into her life so she could love you.”

“But she looked at me like a commodity to purchase! There was no love involved.”

His blue eyes burned into mine. “I disagree. There was plenty of love in her intention to have you. I think it’s powerful when a parent actually chooses to have a baby with a clear mind and open heart. It may not be the traditional route, but it gives more meaning. My parents chose me, too.”

I scoffed. “They were married! They decided to have a baby like a normal couple!”

“They adopted me. My birth mom left me in a basket on the church steps. Just like in the movies.”

Another shock barreled through me. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I was going into foster care, but my parents heard the story and chose to adopt me. I’m not sure if they were ready for a child. They certainly weren’t actively looking to adopt. But it was a small, tight-knit town, and they were well loved, and I ended up being their son.” He tapped his chin. “I could have decided to feel like crap because I was dumped by the woman who birthed me. But I like the idea that I was specifically chosen by my parents. It made me feel grateful, not unwanted.”