A Question of Love by Jess Dee Page B

alone.
    “Goodbye, Tina,” he said as he walked through the bedroom door. “Be happy.”

Chapter Five
    Inadequate. Not the best way to think of oneself, was it? But that’s how Gabe felt as he walked into his kitchen when he arrived home. Always used to being in control when it came to women, he was thrown by this situation. He wasn’t man enough for the woman he loved. Alone he couldn’t measure up to what Tina wanted.
    He stopped short when he saw Connor standing by the kettle, a steaming mug in his hands.
    “Hey,” Gabe said by way of greeting. “I thought you were heading back to Melbourne about now?”
    Connor nodded. “My flight leaves in a couple of hours. I wanted to catch you and say goodbye.”
    Gabe looked at him speculatively. “Where’s Maddie?”
    Connor pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “In the living room.”
    Gabe nodded. “Did you two work everything out?”
    Connor grinned. “We sure did.”
    He smiled back. “Maddie’s good for you. I’m happy for you both.” He was. It didn’t stop the twist of jealousy in his gut. Connor had found the perfect partner. A woman who wanted just Connor.
    Gabe’s perfect partner wanted more than Gabe. She wanted Connor too.
    Connor nodded in agreement. “I’ve decided to come back to Sydney.”
    “You going to take up the job offer after all?” Connor had been in town this weekend to interview for a position. He’d been undecided about returning to Sydney. Maddie must have helped him make up his mind.
    “Yep.”
    “That’s cool.” It would be nice to have his mate back in the same city again. “When d’ya think you’ll make the move?”
    Connor took his mug and sat at the kitchen table. “Two months, max. I’ll have to find someone to replace me at work and train them up before I can leave.”
    “You going to see Maddie in the interim?”
    “Damn straight,” Connor said. “I’ll visit here and she’ll come to Melbourne. We’ll alternate weekends.”
    “Sounds like a plan.” Christ, it was difficult to believe that a few days ago Maddie was with Gabe, and Connor had just entered the picture. Life had spun around almost one hundred and eighty degrees since then.
    “Gabe?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I owe you a thank you.”
    Gabe raised an eyebrow in question.
    “If not for you, I’d be in Melbourne, and Maddie and I never would have gotten together.”
    “Don’t mention it.” Gabe shrugged. Maddie and Connor made a good couple. “True love doesn’t come around often. No point wasting it.”
    “Yeah.” Connor frowned. “That’s the other reason I’m here.”
    Gabe’s lips tilted in a smile. “You going to tell me you’ve been in love with me all this time?”
    Connor snorted. “Yeah, right!” And then he became serious. “I wanted to apologize.”
    “For what?” Gabe asked, puzzled. “If this is about you and Maddie, there’s no need. You were meant to be together.”
    “It’s not about me. Or Maddie. I’m sorry I never broke the rules four years ago.”
    Gabe stood stock still.
    “You loved Tina. I should have realized then just how much and walked away.”
    “I never expected you to. She was yours first. We had rules.”
    “Yeah, that’s the thing.” Connor scraped his fingers through his hair. “I was too rigid in the way I stuck to the rules. I can see that now. Trying to leave Maddie just about killed me. I can imagine what saying goodbye to Tina did to you.”
    Ripped out his heart and shredded it. “It hurt,” Gabe acknowledged. It still hurt, maybe even more now.
    Connor shook his head. Remorse lined his face. “I fucked up, mate. I should have cut her loose the minute I understood how much it messed with your head when we both slept with her.”
    “I left. There was no need to cut her loose.”
    “You left because I didn’t,” Connor pointed out. “I fucked up.”
    “I did too,” Gabe said after a minute. “I could have tried harder to win her over. I didn’t.”
    “Do you still love