As he trailed off, Max’s mind got to work filling in the blanks. Seb was in trouble of some sort? Angrier than he’d expressed for all the years Max had been mentally checked out? Deathly ill? “What? You’re what?”

“Don’t run us off the road, but I’m gay.”

Of course he was. Max didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it earlier. He huffed a laugh.

Seb sucked in a breath and turned toward the window, hurt.

“Seb.” Max let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and grabbed his brother’s left. “I’m sorry. I’m laughing at myself. At how obvious it was—or should have been. I’m sorry I didn’t see it.” Another glance over showed that Seb’s eyes had gone wide, and Max rushed to add what he should have led with. “It doesn’t make a whit of difference to me. In fact, it makes me happy. It makes me happy to think of you being more authentically yourself. I’m glad for you and glad you told me. I’m sorry if you felt you couldn’t previously.”

“Really? That’s it?”

“Well, excuse me for forgetting to pack my rainbow confetti.”

Seb laughed and took his hand back. “I was expecting more of the opposite reaction, to be honest.”

“From me? Really?” That stung.

“No, not really. I’m sorry. That’s not fair. You’re just so . . . heterosexual.”

“I am not!” Max protested reflexively.

“You’re not?” Seb’s jaw dropped.

It was Max’s turn to laugh. “No, I am. But I like to think I’m a modern sort of heterosexual. I’m very live-and-let-live.”

Seb smiled. “I meant that you’re such a playboy.”

Right. He used to be, anyway.

“You’ve been chasing girls since you were a teenager.”

“Whatever reputation I have doesn’t mean anything about my character,” Max said, not telling Seb that he was in the middle of the longest dry spell of his life. “Expect a negative reaction from Father, not me.” His stomach grew heavy wondering if perhaps Father had known somehow. If that was what had been behind the tea-party tantrum all those years ago. “You haven’t told Father, have you?”

“God, no. No. I can never do that.”

“You could, though. If you wanted to. I’d have your back.”

“He’d disown me.”

“Probably,” Max agreed. And when Max inherited, he would re-own him. It was a pleasant thought, the idea of undoing some of his father’s damage. One good thing about becoming the duke. “It would definitely mean a change of career, though, as he’d probably have you fired in addition to disowning you.”

“I know. I just feel like . . .”