Love found

“I really didn’t know this kind of love existed in the world until my son came into our life.”

That’s what Pete Mercurio told People magazine about his son. “I love this kid more than anything in the world.”

But 21 years ago, Mercurio was in disbelief. His partner, Danny Stewart, couldn’t meet him for dinner and Danny had a really good excuse: He had found a baby, a day-old boy, abandoned and wrapped in a sweatshirt in the subway station.

Mercurio was in for another shock. At a hearing months later, the judge asked Danny if he would like to adopt the infant. Danny said yes. Mercurio (later) said no. They weren’t prepared to be parents, living in a 400-square-foot New York apartment. Mercurio was a graphic designer, Stewart a social worker. They were young. They had college debt. This wasn’t the plan.

Stewart was adamant. It was a gift, he said. This was their only chance to be parents and he was not about to pass it up. Mercurio agreed to visit the child in foster care. Then, the baby reached up and gripped his finger and a streak of warmth passed through Mercurio. He knew he was a dad, and the two rose to the occasion of love found.

And that’s how the baby, Kevin, came into their lives. Their families pitched in to buy baby stuff. Their small apartment became a nursery, and the men became Papa and Daddy. All these years, they thrived through diapers, vacations, school plays, and sports.

Today, Kevin is a 21-year-old college student majoring in math and computer science. He’s a joyful marathon runner and a lot taller than his fathers.

Read more about their extraordinary journey in Mercurio’s book, Our Subway Baby, which is, he says, a love letter to his son.