Derek shook his head, squinted. “No, it’s fine, Nate. We don’t mind you being here. In fact…you may be able to do something…no, that sounds really bad.”
Nate frowned. “What sounds bad? What do you mean?”
Derek sighed. “I don’t know how to say this.” He looked away. “You know Krissa and I have been trying to have a baby.”
“Yeah.” Nate wasn’t sure where this was going. If Derek’s problem was his sterility, they couldn’t blame Nate being there and interfering in their sex lives for their lack of children.
“She wants a baby so bad.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t even totally understand it. It’s a woman thing, I guess.”
“I don’t know.” Nat shrugged and studied his beer. “Some guys want kids, too.”
“I do want kids. But…well, I already told you how I feel about it.”
“Yeah. And I know how disappointed Krissa is.”
“Yeah.”
There was silence. Both men gulped their beer.
“Well.” Derek swallowed another mouthful of beer. “Uh.”
Nate stared at his friend. Derek, the smooth talking salesman, was having a hard time spilling what was on his mind.
“What’s up buddy? Tell me.”
Derek rubbed his face. “This is the most bizarre conversation I’ve ever had. Okay. Here it is. We want you to donate your sperm.”
Nate’s head dipped and his eyes went wide. “Huh?”
“We want you to be the father of our child. Since I can’t.” Derek’s voice sounded different…thick. “Oh, man. This is hard. I never thought I’d be asking this. But, Jesus, if I have to…Krissa’s right. I want it to be you.”
“Me?” Nate still wasn’t sure he understood what Derek was saying. “I don’t get it.”
“Artificial insemination is one of the only options left for us. I don’t want to use an anonymous sperm donor, even if I can pick his IQ and eye color.” Nate heard the bitter tone in his voice. “But…” Derek lifted his eyes and met Nate’s. “I’d pick you.”
Nate shook his head. “You want my sperm?”
“Yes.”
Silence expanded in the room. Nate heard the faint tick of the clock in the kitchen.
“Jesus.” He drained his beer and clattered it down on the coffee table. “I’m flattered, buddy, but…wow.”
“I know.” Derek blew out a breath. “I know. There are a lot of things to think about. Things we’d all need to agree on. We wouldn’t expect you to have any obligation to the child…we wouldn’t even have to tell the child.”
Nate shook his head. “Jesus Christ.”
“That’d be my preference. Only, you, Krissa and I would ever have to know.”
Nate’s mind spun in circles. He didn’t know what to think. He’d be giving them a baby. He’d be giving Krissa a baby.
For some reason that touched something deep inside him. Like a finger poking him. He closed his eyes.
It would be his baby. But it would betheirbaby. Not his.
It was too much to comprehend.
“I would really love to help you two,” Nate said slowly. “You know I would. But this is…big.”
