Page 30 of Hard as Steel

“Oh, baby. Please stop.” He needed Krystof to see the truth in his eyes when he said what he needed to say. “You were right about what you said. I swear I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, but you’re right. Not that I intentionally punished you. My horrible behavior is inexcusable. I know that, but I still need to explain. While I sat there in the ER, waiting for an update, the truth hit me. While I didn’t realize it while it was happening, I guarded myself. It’s like I had to make sure you saw I don’t need you. I’ve got this booming career now. It’s like, I needed you to understand that if you leave me, you won’t take everything from me because I’ll be just fine by myself.” As with everything, Krystof didn’t appear horrified. He looked as if he waited for Steel to finish his confession. Steel wasn’t done. “None of that is true. I won’t be okay without you. This career has given me a reason to get up every day.” Steel swallowed. His voice came out cracking. “Without it, I would’ve put a bullet in my brain a long time ago. I’m not meant to be here without you. If you still want to leave me, I’m not manipulating you here. I’ll stay alive because I would never do anything to hurt you. That includes harming myself. I’ll keep going and wait for you in the next life. If you stay, you’ll never have a reason to doubt me again. I’ll sell my business before I let any job take you away.”

Krystof’s eyes filled with tears. He blinked them away. “You don’t have to go quite that far. I’m not going anywhere. When I woke up and saw you there, I had a huge revelation. I’d rather spend the rest of my life miserable with you than do anything else. God knows I’d never date again. But I’d rather just stay and figure this out. I’ve still got some fight left in me.”

Relief poured through Steel. He swiped his lips across Krystof’s. “Thank God.” He kissed Krystof again. “We should go through those invitations together. I don’t want anyone to miss our big day.” Discomfort sneaked in. His gaze slid away. “If you still want to marry me, that is. I understand if you don’t.”

Kristof snorted. “Are you joking? Do you think I’d actually let you get away again? Absolutely not. I want to get married as soon as possible. I need to know you’re tied to me for life.”

Steel hummed. “Tied to you. I love the sound of that.” He brushed noses with Krystof.

“Hey, now. None of that. You two are supposed to be resting.” Kuba was all smiles despite his lecture. “I let myself in so you could stay in bed, but not for this. Do I need to separate you two?”

Steel dropped his forehead on Krystof’s chest, laughing.

“We’ll be good. I swear,” Krystof sounded so much like a child, Steel couldn’t stop laughing.

Kuba made a derisive noise. “Yeah, I guess you’ve heard that a time or two.”

Finally, Steel managed to lift his head and join the conversation. “You don’t have to worry. Neither of us have the energy to do anything.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I bet you’ve got the energy to eat. At least you had better have. Diesel is out here setting the table with food he’s spent an hour out here cooking. So move your asses and tell him how much you love it. I don’t care if you like it or not.” Kuba left them alone without looking back.

“He likes you.”

Steel focused on Kristof at the claim. “That’s good. I like him too.” Steel kissed Krystof’s chin. “And I really like his dad.”

“For fuck’s sake. You guys are really going to make me stand here and watch you march your asses to the dining room. Jesus. You two are worse than Diesel and me.”

Krystof snorted so hard, it had to have hurt as he rolled away from Steel. He stood, looking as if he had way more energy than Steel. “Please. I have to peek through my fingers every time I’m there. If you disappear for a minute, I live in fear of what I’ll see.”

Kuba guffawed with laughter. “Or hear.”

“Oh my God. Don’t even get me started. I couldn’t look you in the eyes for two weeks.”

Steel shook his head and climbed out of bed. He couldn’t believe he was about to be Kuba’s stepfather. As that thought hit, so too did another. He was damn proud of that title. Kuba was a good kid. His dad was even better.

As hard as Krystof tried, he couldn’t stop smiling. For the first time, he knew exactly where Steel and he were headed. There were no lingering doubts. He didn’t feel like the other shoe would drop any minute. Krystof simply headed toward the future of his dreams. He rubbed his chest. Anastasia was definitely smiling down at him. She had so badly wanted this for Krystof. Like him, she had thought he had lost any shot with Steel. Unlike him, she had never given up hope they would reconnect someday. She had urged him many times to quit acting as if their marriage was anything more than it was. His reluctance had been about more than not humiliating her. Not only had Krystof been terrified about seeing Steel again, but he also didn’t want to offer Steel a half-life. Until recently, Kuba hadn’t known they weren’t the typical spouses. He would never hurt his son. That was why it meant so much seeing Kuba genuinely connect with Steel. They were alike in a lot of ways: driven to succeed with nothing but their fists and brute force. Both men possessed so much more than those strengths. On top of a million other amazing traits, both owned Krystof’s heart and soul. He would never be whole without either of them.

“I’ve never seen you smile like this.”

Diesel and Steel had gone to Steel’s home office after dinner. They worked on a plan for Diesel to train Bridger since Steel was down for the count. Plus, Steel had said he just didn’t want to work again right now. He had too much time to make up for. While Krystof never would have asked that of him, he was thrilled to know he would have Steel all to himself.

Krystof forced his mind to stay on topic. “Yeah.” His cheeks hurt from all the grinning. “It’s like no time has passed. I never thought that if he gave me another shot, he’d still love me the way he did back then.”

“It’s good to see you were wrong.”

Krystof was ashamed to admit, but he hadn’t told Kuba how close their wedding actually was. He had been so scared over the way Steel had acted that there would be no ceremony. Things were different now. He felt that in his soul. “So… are you ready to be my best man in a little over two weeks?”

Kuba’s eyebrows rose. “That seems fast.”

Krystof’s hands lifted and fell. “Not when you waited as long as we have.”

Kuba waved a dismissive hand. “No. I meant a little fast to throw a whole wedding.”

He couldn’t admit that he had been planning for six months. His face heated. “Well, he said he would marry me in a bathroom stall at a dodgy nightclub, so…”

“And would,” Steel said, reappearing in the dining room with Diesel on his heels. He kissed Krystof and then reclaimed his seat at Krystof’s side.

“Dodgy? Damn. Dad’s been rubbing off on you.”