Toby shook his head. "It's not about bravery," he told her. "You're plenty brave just being here right now," he pointed out. He knew how difficult it must be for Laurel to even be sitting there on the sofa with him right now. He couldn't imagine what she was going through, honestly. He'd had to do what he'd had to do for himself, but he'd not had to do it after another of his siblings - two actually - had been disowned. Laurel was far braver that she was giving herself credit for.
The pinkness that coated her ears told him that his assumption had been right.
"I know what it's like to feel like pretending is easy," he said, sighing softly. "But in the end, you're only going to make yourself miserable. No matter what anyone else says, you need to know that this doesn't make you a bad person. You can't help who you love."