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“Didn’t you mention something about breakfast?” I asked, standing in the doorway and raising my eyebrows at him.
His lips curved to one side. “I guess I should cook. I’ll get dressed.”
“Don’t put clothes on on my account,” I replied smartly, then spun into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.
His laughter lingered just long enough for me to glance back at the door and smile.
I was so screwed.
•••
“Can I ask you something?” I turned my face away from the rain that was hammering against the window to look at Max.
He peered up from his laptop and met my gaze. “I might not answer, but I won’t stop you asking.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes at his stupid answer. “Why are you so against getting married and having kids?”
“That’s the one I’m not going to answer.” He turned his attention back to his laptop and started typing again.
I set mine down on the cushion in front of me on the window seat and stared at him. “It seems really important to your grandma.”
He didn’t respond.
“Oh, come on. Surely my question isn’t that unreasonable.”
Max sighed, letting his fingers still on the keyboard, but he didn’t look at me. “Ellie, please drop it.”
“I just don’t understand. It seems like such a huge issue with you and Esme.” I pushed my hair behind my ear. “Don’t you need to have kids for the dukedom to continue or it reverts back to the Crown?”
He didn’t respond.
I tossed my hands into the air and picked my laptop back up, setting it on my lap once more as I stretched my legs out. “Fine, whatever.”
“What happened to yesterday? Where you’d only ask if you thought I might tell you?”
“Clearly, I asked because I thought you might tell me.”
“Terrible idea.” He typed a few words before I caught him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. “You’re going to open The Sims and try to kill me again, aren’t you?”
“I don’t try,” I said, staring at my screen as I contemplated doing just that. “History shows that I succeed. Although this time, it’ll be by killer rabbit.”
He made a noise that sounded like it was something between a laugh and a sigh, then gently set his laptop on the coffee table in front of him. “Yes, you’re correct. If I don’t have children, then the dukedom will revert to the Crown on my death. That’s the very reason I won’t have a family.”
“Wait.” I frowned, looking over at him. “You want it to die out?”
“With my familial line? Yes. Dukedoms can be reissued.”
I sat up a little straighter and swung my legs around, setting my laptop down once more. “Why would you want it to die with you? It’s, what? Four hundred years of history? Gone? Just because you don’t want children?”
“It’s nothing to do with me not wanting children. On the contrary, I think I’d like to have them very much.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Many of my friends have children or are going to have them soon, and I don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world.”
“So, why not have them?” I paused. “Oh. Can you… not?”
“Not what?”
“Have kids. You know…Can’t.”
There was really no easy way to ask someone if they were infertile, was there?
