Page 31 of Hard as Steel

The way Steel smiled made even more heat rush to his face. Krystof knew he held back all the innuendo. “He’s also had me saying ‘it just fucking shits me’ for years now.”

Krystof chuckled. “To be fair, I picked that one up the year I lived in Australia when I was a teenager.”

Kuba wore a huge grin. “Dad has picked up a huge hodgepodge of sayings from around the world. Most of them are creative cursing. So, you guys are getting married in two weeks, huh?”

The words sent a jolt through Krystof. “Oh, I have you two’s invitation.” Krystof stood. “Let me grab that while you’re here.”

Kuba nodded.

Krystof shuffled out of the room. The move reminded him how badly he felt. He kind of wished he hadn’t offered to go grab anything. Every step he took felt as if he walked through quicksand. By the time he returned, Krystof was out of breath. When the table came into sight, he caught Kuba's full-eye contact with Steel wearing a hard and intense look, as if poised to fight him. Horror struck. “What did I just walk in on?”

Kuba leaned back in his chair.

Steel flashed him a sexy smile. “I was telling the boys about our color scheme and the winery where the ceremony is being held.”

Krystof tried to hide his surprise. He honestly thought Steel didn’t know those things. “Yeah. It’s a beautiful spot. They even have a plan for if it rains. Of all the places I toured, they were the most organized. You could tell pulling off weddings with precision is their sole goal.”

Diesel smiled. “That’s awesome. We actually looked at that place too when searching for our wedding. We liked them, but we loved the idea of being able to drink all day and stumble to a room right there at the venue. Not to mention a wedding in California would have been inconvenient for a lot of people. The hotel was nowhere near as beautiful, but I regret nothing.”

Kuba looked Diesel’s way and blew a kiss. “Damn right, baby.”

“Open the invitation.” Steel sounded excited. “I haven’t actually gotten to see them yet. Krystof has been amazing at handling things while I slaved. He deserved for me to be more present.”

That was it. Steel didn’t add any buts. He simply owned that he hadn’t been there.

Kuba nodded as he eyed the invitation Diesel held. “I get it. When we were planning ours, I was training for a match. Diesel pulled way more weight than I did.”

Diesel shrugged. “I got you in the deal. I didn’t much give a fuck what it took to have your last name.”

“You took our last name?” Krystof didn’t know why he hadn’t known that. He had been so focused on Steel that he felt out of the loop. “Did that upset your mom?”

Diesel shook his head. “She’s taking Tory’s last name. Tory is a pediatrician, so it’s just easier for Mom to take hers.”

Kuba glanced between Steel and Krystof. “So which last name are you two choosing?”

Krystof internally panicked. They hadn’t discussed the topic, and they both ran huge corporations under their names. “I don’t know. Maybe we should just keep our last names. We both have our names tied to our companies and—”

“I’m taking his last name,” Steel said, cutting him off before he got too flustered.

Krystof’s shoulders relaxed. He had realized how tense he had become. A shy smile pulled at his lips. “Oh.”

Kuba chuckled and shook his head. He stood. “We’ll let you guys get back to bed. You’re supposed to be resting.”

Krystof stood and hugged his boys. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. I love you both.”

Kuba embraced him again. It was a tight bear hug where he rocked Krystof from side to side. “Don’t scare me like that again. You’re supposed to live forever.”

Krystof hugged him back. His heart swelled. “I love you, angel. I’m not going anywhere.”

Kuba took a step back and swiped his eyes on the sly.

Krystof hated that he had put Kuba through this. Losing his mother had hit him really hard. They had been best friends, travel buddies, and had leaned on each other. Then not only was she gone, Kuba had been the one to find her dead.

“Are you sure you don’t want to hang out a little longer?”

Kuba squared his shoulders. “No, I’m good. We haven’t gotten much sleep since we flew into town. We all need some rest.”

Diesel squeezed Kuba’s shoulders. “I’ve got him.”