Notes: Mari and Sammy – you are two of the best examples that families can be made as well as born. Thank you both for the support, encouragement, and love.
Readers and REAL McRollers – I wouldn't usually presume, but I'm going to for this one. You may want a tissue nearby. I made myself tear up a couple times here, so don't say I didn't warn you. Apologies for the late posting. I just couldn't do the all-nighter. Learned after Thanksgiving I'm getting too old for that! Thank you for your wonderful, amazing, INCREDIBLE support and feedback!
I hope you enjoy the story!
First of Many (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve stood out back, surveying the setup for the barbecue scheduled to begin in just over an hour. His phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen.
Smiling, he accepted the call. "Mary, hey. What's up?"
"Hey," his sister's voice came over the line. "Joan's still down for her nap, and I wanted to call real quick. I know you've got people coming over soon."
"Yeah, about an hour."
There was a pause, then Mary's voice broke when she said, "Steve . . . I . . ."
Steve straightened, his brow knitting in concern.
"Mare, what is it? You okay? Is Joan–"
"I'm fine. We're fine." She sniffed before continuing, "I just . . . I literally can't stop looking at these tables."
His shoulders relaxed slightly, and his face softened at the raw emotion in her voice.
"I . . . I mean, I saw the spindles in the photos you sent and when we Skyped so you and Catherine could show me the finished deck but . . ."
He nodded, though she couldn't see it.
"I know," he said.
"It feels like he's here now," she said. "In my new home."
Steve closed his eyes briefly. "I know."
"Joan likes to run her hands over the grooves." She sniffed again. "I've showed her pictures of Dad. I mean, she won't really get it till she's older, but it's like she knows somehow. She knows they're important."
"She's picking up on your mood when you look at 'em."
"Yeah. I just . . ." She sighed. "That's all, really. I'm sitting here staring at my bedside table, and I just wanted to tell you thanks. Again."
"Thank Catherine. They were her idea."
"I know, and I have. After we all talked when the tables arrived, I sent her a long, rambling email . . ." she trailed off with a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.
She paused, and Steve waited, sensing she had more to say.
"You really found . . . I mean . . . Catherine, she's . . . she's something special, Steve."
"Yeah, she is." The corner of his mouth lifted in a soft smile. "You know, Dad said the same thing. When he met Catherine."
"When he showed up at your graduation?"
"Yeah," he said. "At dinner."
"Well, I mean, she's gotta be, right?" Mary joked, and he recognized her attempt to lighten the mood. "To put up with you for as long as she has."
He chuckled. "That's the truth."
"I'm sorry we're going to miss the inaugural barbecue."
"Hey, this is just the first of many. You and Joan will be here before you know it."
"That's right. But first, New York. I can't believe that's just about a month away."
"I know. Seems like Elizabeth or Grandma Ang is emailing every other day with some new idea for when we're all there. I think the latest is–"
"Wait, wait," she stopped him. "Grandma Ang emails?"
"You haven't gotten one of those yet?" He smiled broadly. "Oh, you're in for a treat."
"Why?"
"You'll see. I don't want to spoil it."
Mary laughed. "What are you talking about? You always used to spoil surprises when we were kids. Endings of movies or when I would try to tell a joke . . ."
He smiled. "That's because I was an annoying older brother. Spoiling things was in the job description."
Mary paused.
"You were a great older brother," she said. "And you still are."
Steve paused, closing his eyes as his head dropped.
"I wasn't always," he said quietly.
"Steve–"
"I wasn't, Mary," he said, looking up. "We didn't talk for a long time."
She paused again, and he heard her sigh.
"Well, it's not like I made it easy," she said.
"Hey, you–"
"Steve. Come on. What did I tell you about the guilt?"
His face cracked in a small, resigned smile. "Right"
"Okay, then." Her voice lightened as she said, "Hey, I should go. Joan will be up soon, and you've got, like, thirty people coming to your house."
"All right," he said. "I love you. Talk to you later."
"Love you."
"Kiss Joanie for me. And for Catherine."
She chuckled. "Will do."
"Bye, Mary."
After ending the call, Steve stood quietly, his eyes growing unfocused as he looked at it in his hand.
The back door opened, and Catherine stepped onto the deck with Cammie.
"I think all that's left to do is get ice in the coolers but we can wait a bit longer to–" her voice broke off as she saw him staring at his phone. "Steve, what is it?" She put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"
Cammie stopped on his other side and licked his fingers.
Steve inhaled, looking first at Catherine and then Cammie. He rubbed the dog's head and smiled at Catherine as he pocketed his phone.
"Yeah. That was Mary. She can't stop staring at the tables. Says it's like Dad's there in her new home."
Catherine tilted her head to the side with a soft smile. "That's wonderful. I'm really, really happy she likes them so much."
"I would have never thought of doing that, Cath," he said quietly. "Thank you. Again. That was a perfect idea."
She smiled. "My pleasure."
He shook himself and straightened. "What'd you say is left? Ice in the coolers?"
"Yeah, but that can wait a little longer." She put both hands on his arms and turned him to face her fully. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah . . . fine."
She raised an eyebrow, and he smiled.
"I will be," he said. "Letting go of guilt . . . it's easier said than done, you know?"
She put a hand to his cheek. "Yeah, I know," she said quietly.
He leaned down and kissed her gently.
"Let's get some ice in those coolers," he said. "People will be here before we know it."
An hour and a half later, most of their guests had arrived and were enjoying the new deck nearly all had helped build.
Catherine was in the kitchen when she heard a knock on the front door, and she crossed the living room quickly to open it.
"Hi!" she said brightly to the Allen family gathered on the doorstep.
"We weren't sure if we should go around back or . . ." Jenna began from behind her five children.
"This is fine," Catherine assured her with a warm smile. "Welcome. Come on in." She waved them inside.
Jacob squirmed past Casey and Dylan to step inside first.
"Where's Cammie? Where's Cammie?" he asked excitedly. "Cody said she was right here at the door when he came."
Catherine noticed Kaitlyn's eyes darting around the room nervously as she hung back beside her mother.
"Cammie's out back," Catherine said, and Kaitlyn's shoulders relaxed slightly. "You'll meet her in a minute."
"We brought brownies," Jenna said, holding out a tupperware container. "I know you said you were expecting a lot of people, and I figured there'd be a few desserts. It's just a box mix, but . . ."
"This is perfect," Catherine said and accepted the container. She peeked under the lid. "They look great."
Jacob tapped her hip. "I helped make them!"
"Did you?" she asked, looking down at him.
"I helped, too!" Kaitlyn put in.
"Then I bet they are delicious," Catherine said with a smile. "And you all brought your swimsuits, right?" She looked at the older kids.
Cody, Casey, and Dylan all nodded.
"I'm already wearing mine, Lieutenant Catherine!" Jacob said, pulling up his shirt even though she could clearly see he had his swim trunks on.
"I've got mine on, too," Kaitlyn said and pulled up her tank top to show her bathing suit underneath.
"Excellent," Catherine said, laughing. "No need to waste time changing, huh?"
Kaitlyn smiled broadly and nodded.
"Why don't you all go on out back?" Catherine suggested, looking at them. "You'll see some familiar faces out there. Cody, you know the way."
Cody's eyes snapped to hers in surprise. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a small smile, and he nodded.
"This way," he said and led his siblings to the back door and outside.
Kaitlyn didn't move, instead taking her mother's hand and squeezing it.
Catherine waited for the back door to close before she knelt in front of the girl and set the tupperware on the ground.
"Kaitlyn, are you worried about Cammie?" she asked gently.
Kaitlyn glanced up at Jenna and rubbed a hand over her stomach nervously. She looked back at Catherine and nodded silently, tears forming in her eyes.
"She's really a very good dog," Catherine said. "She might get excited, but that's just because she's really really happy to meet you and your family."
Kaitlyn bit her lip to hold back her tears.
"You remember what we talked about, sweetie?" Jenna asked.
Kaitlyn looked up at her.
Jenna smiled encouragingly and said, "Being brave?"
Kaitlyn gave her a small nod.
"Hey," Catherine said, bringing Kaitlyn's attention back to her. "Can you do this?" She brushed one finger across the side of her nose and waited for Kaitlyn to imitate her. She smiled when the girl did. "Perfect. Now, that'll be our special signal. Okay? If you're feeling scared any time today, you just give me that signal, and you can come inside for a bit until you feel better. Okay?"
Kaitlyn nodded. "Okay," she said quietly.
Catherine smiled. "Are you ready to go outside? Grace has been waiting for you."
Kaitlyn's face brightened, but she kept a tight grip on her mother's hand as Catherine picked up the tupperware and stood to lead them out.
Before they reached the back door, Grace burst through it.
"Kaitlyn, there you are!" she said, smiling broadly. "Come on! Everyone's outside."
She took Kaitlyn's other hand and led the way outside onto the deck.
Grover, Duke, Frank, and John stood admiring the outdoor kitchen that had been completed over the last week. Gabby, Esther, Carrie, and Kathy were seated on the deck's benches. Cynthia Grover was standing at the table with Kekipi and complimenting his workmanship. All ten stopped their conversations to smile warmly at the newcomers.
In the yard, Casey and Dylan were standing with Chin, Leilani, Kono, and Adam, and had clearly just been introduced to Jerry, Kamekona, and Max. Oke Oleani chatted nearby with Chin's cousins Loe and Kei.
Samantha and her brother Marcus were down in the sand with Trey, attempting to hit a volleyball back and forth.
In the middle of the yard, Steve and Danny stood with Cody and Jacob who was still petting an excited Cammie, her tail thumping on the ground.
"Mom! Mom!" he called out. "This is Cammie! She's bigger than me!"
"She sure is," Jenna said as she stepped onto the grass.
Kaitlyn let go of Grace to clutch her mother's hand in both of hers.
"Don't let go," she whispered fiercely.
"I won't," Jenna reassured her. "Come on, honey. Let's meet Cammie."
Grace and Catherine stepped ahead to join the small group around the happy dog.
Jacob grinned. "Let her smell your hand, Kaitlyn. Commander says that's how she gets to know you."
"Like this," Jenna said and held her hand out for Cammie to sniff.
Kaitlyn tentatively put her hand out and Cammie sniffed it. Kaitlyn jerked back against her mother.
"You're okay," Jenna said, squeezing her other hand. "Good job, honey."
"Do you want to pet her?" Steve asked, kneeling by Cammie and holding onto her collar. "She won't move. You can pet her on her back if you want."
"Right here, Kaitlyn," Grace said and rubbed Cammie's back.
Kaitlyn looked up at Jenna who nodded encouragingly. They stepped toward Grace, and Kaitlyn reached her fingers out to touch Cammie's fur. Jenna knelt and scratched under her chin. Cammie gave an appreciative woof and Kaitlyn jumped back.
Cody, who had stepped close, rubbed his sister's shoulder.
"It's okay," he said. "She's just happy."
"Do you want to get something to drink, Kaitlyn?" Catherine asked. "There's lemonade and fruit punch."
Kaitlyn nodded rapidly.
"Come on, Kaitlyn," Danny said and held out an arm. "I'll show you where."
Kaitlyn finally released her mother's hand and ran to his side.
"Me, too?" Jacob asked.
His mother nodded.
"Sure, the more the merrier," Danny said.
He led the two kids off to get a drink.
Grace looked at Jenna.
"We were going to bring my dog, Scout," she said. "But I was worried two dogs at once would be really scary for Kaitlyn."
"That was incredibly thoughtful, Grace," Jenna said.
"Yes, it was," Steve agreed, smiling proudly at his niece. He stood and looked at Jenna. "We'll keep an eye on Cammie. There are plenty of people here to keep her occupied. But if Kaitlyn wants to go inside or . . ."
"We've got a signal," Catherine told him.
He looked at her and nodded. "Perfect."
"Thank you," Jenna said. "I think she'll be okay, but I really appreciate it."
"Absolutely," Catherine said. "We want everyone to have a good time. Especially the kids."
"I'm sure they will." She looked around. "Your home is beautiful."
"Thank you," Steve said, putting an arm around Catherine's shoulders.
"I'll give you a tour later," Catherine said. "But let me introduce you around first."
Steve joined Grover, Duke, Frank, and John on the deck by the outdoor kitchen.
"You've got a lot of storage space here," Duke said, motioning to the sets of base and upper cabinets.
"And I love the granite countertop," Frank added.
He ran a hand along the surface in front of the small sink.
"Thanks," Steve said. "I'm glad we got everything in working order before today."
Grover bent to open the small refrigerator beside the base cabinets. "I assume you plan to normally keep this well-stocked with Longboards." He indicated the shelves that were currently full of plates of food to be grilled.
"You got that right," Steve laughed.
"Four burners on the grill," John observed. "Plus the side burners."
"Check it out," Steve said, stepping over to the grill and pointing. "Searing burner."
"Nice," John said, clearly impressed.
"You getting ideas?" Steve asked.
"Maybe," John admitted with a chuckle.
Steve nodded. "I'll get you the make and model."
Down on the grass, Kaitlyn had rejoined Jenna with her lemonade as Catherine was introducing her to Jerry.
"Jenna, Kaitlyn, this is our friend Jerry Ortega. Jerry, this is Jenna and Kaitlyn Allen."
"Nice to meet you," Jenna said, one arm draped over Kaitlyn's chest and holding her hand as her daughter stood in front of her, swaying from side to side.
Jerry nodded with a small smile. "You, too."
"Jerry's also a valuable consultant," Catherine said. "He's helped us out on a few cases with his . . . special expertise."
"What's that?" Jenna asked.
"Conspiracies, mostly," Jerry said with a nod.
Jenna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh. Okay." She smiled. "I was not expecting that."
Chin, Kono, Dylan, Casey, Samantha, Trey and Marcus had arranged themselves at the table on the deck and were getting ready to play Uno.
"Are we playing that you have to keep drawing until you get a card you can play?" Samantha asked as Chin finished dealing the cards.
Kono looked at Casey and Dylan. "What do you guys think?"
"Yeah," Dylan said.
"Definitely," Casey agreed.
"We only play the other way when Jacob and Kaitlyn are playing," Dylan said. "They always drop their cards if they get too many in their hands."
"Okay, then, we got to play Stacks," Trey said, picking up his cards.
"What?" Chin asked.
"Uno Stacks," Trey said, holding out a hand as if it was obvious. "Like, if it's a three on the pile, and you have more than one three in your hand, you can play them all at the same time."
"Whaaat?" Kono asked, her lips twisting in confusion.
"No way," Chin said with a doubtful smile. "What kind of rules are those?"
"That's Stacks. I'm telling you."
He turned to Samantha and Marcus for confirmation, and they nodded.
Trey looked around the table. "If we're playing draw till you can play, we gotta play Stacks."
"So what if you play more than one Skip card?" Chin asked.
"Then you skip that many people," Trey said. "Like if I play two Skips, then the next two people get skipped."
Kono squinted at him. "And does that go for the Draw Two–"
"Yeah. One time I hit my cousin 'Mayne with Draw 16!" He said and threw his head back, laughing. "He got so mad."
Kono again looked at Casey and Dylan for the final decision. "Well, what do you think? Should we try it?"
Casey nodded with a little shrug. "Sounds fun."
" 'Draw 16'?" Dylan said. "I'm gonna try to get Draw 20!"
Catherine approached Steve who was standing with Max and Duke on the deck.
"And as I'm sure you're both aware," Max was saying, "the herringbone pattern is so named because–"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Max," Catherine said with an apologetic smile. She looked at Steve. "We should get the grill going."
He nodded. "Okay."
Duke and Max drifted away and Steve stepped to the edge of the deck.
"Cody!" he called out.
The teenager looked up from where he was standing with Danny and Kamekona.
"Come on," Steve said, nodding his head toward the outdoor kitchen. "Gimme a hand at the grill."
Cody blinked his surprise and stepped toward him. Danny smiled as he looked on.
"You sure you don't need someone to supervise, McGarrett?" Kamekona asked.
Steve smiled. "Nah, you get the day off, man."
"All right," Kamekona said with a broad smile and toasted him with his beer.
Cody joined Steve on the deck.
"I don't know how to grill," he said quietly.
"Well, you're in luck," Steve said. " 'Cause I do."
"Okay, so with burgers, we want direct heat, and they're not gonna take too long," Steve said.
He began to uncover the plates of patties he and Catherine had prepared earlier.
"Why does it look like they have thumbprints in the middle?" Cody asked.
"That's to stop them from swelling too much while they're on the grill. You don't ever want to flatten a burger while it's grilling, you'll lose the juices doing that. No one wants a dry hamburger. And you don't want your flames to jump up either when all those juices hit them."
"Okay."
Steve picked up one of the plates and nodded at the grill. "Why don't you open up the lid there?"
Cody looked unsure, and Steve nudged him in the back with his elbow.
"Go on," he said.
Cody grasped the handle and lifted the lid.
"Okay," Steve said. "It's nice and hot. Hold this." He handed the plate to Cody. "We need to brush the rack with oil so the burgers don't stick."
After doing that, he lifted a patty from the plate and set it on the hottest part of the grill.
"Give it a try," he said, motioning to Cody. "Just be careful."
Cody picked up the next patty and carefully placed it on the grill.
"We can do a few at a time," Steve said.
They placed more on the grill, and Steve closed the lid.
He took the plate and put it back on the countertop then rinsed his hands in the sink, indicating Cody should do the same.
"They just need to cook a few minutes on that side, and then we'll flip 'em," Steve said. "Cook a few more minutes, put some cheese on a couple, let that melt, and they're done."
"That's it?" Cody asked.
"That's it."
After the first round of burgers was done, Steve put them on a clean plate and Catherine appeared to take it from him.
"Looks great, guys," she said with a smile before going to set them out.
Steve and Cody continued grilling burgers and added veggie skewers to another burner.
"Hey, Steve," Danny called. "You're out of soda. Is there more in the garage?"
"What?" Steve said in surprise, turning toward him. "That cooler was full. Hang on."
He handed Cody the spatula.
"Watch those burgers," he said. "I'll be right back."
Cody's eyes widened in alarm as Steve made to step away. "But . . . wait . . . what if–"
"You'll be fine. Just get ready to flip 'em," Steve said and nodded. "You got this."
He walked off the porch toward the coolers, and Cody turned back to the grill, swallowing hard.
After a minute, he looked under the lid. He glanced over to where Steve was standing with his hands on his hips and shaking his head at the apparently empty cooler. Cody turned back to the burgers and began to flip them.
Catherine stepped up next to him as he flipped the last patty.
"You're doing that like a pro," she said.
"Had a good teacher," he said and gave her a little smile.
She smiled back at him.
Steve came up behind them.
"Looking good," he said.
Cody smiled, looking down. He closed the lid of the grill.
"What's going on with the soda?" Catherine asked.
Steve shrugged. "Danny and Gabby are getting more from the garage. Apparently we've got more soda-drinkers here today than we thought."
She chuckled. "I think Trey's had about three."
As if on cue they heard Trey yell, "Draw 10!" from the table followed by a loud groan from Chin.
Steve, Catherine, and Cody all looked over to see Trey laughing triumphantly. The game had attracted an audience as Grover, Leilani, Adam, Jenna, and Kaitlyn stood around the table watching.
"Do you want to check it out?" Steve asked Cody.
"No," he said, tightening his grip on the spatula. "I'm okay here."
Later, Steve, Catherine, and Cody stood with Carrie, Leilani, and John eating.
"Cath, you have got to tell me what you season these burgers with," Carrie said after she swallowed a mouthful.
"Why are you so sure it was Catherine?" Steve said, feigning an annoyed expression.
"Taste like this?" Carrie motioned with her burger. "Has Grandma Ang written all over it."
"I'll have you know we made a few adjustments to Grandma Ang's recipe," he said.
"You did what?" Carrie balked, incredulous.
"Don't tell her that, though."
Everyone laughed.
"Besides," Steve continued. "I think it's all in the grilling, right, Cody?" He winked at the teen who smiled and ducked his head for a moment before looking back up at the group.
Chin joined them and snagged a veggie kabob from Leilani's plate.
"That was the longest game of Uno I've ever played in my life," he said and bit off a mushroom.
"Didn't sound like it went too well for you," John observed.
Chin swallowed and said, "Not at all."
They laughed.
"I'm starving," Chin said. "Are there more burgers?"
"Definitely," Catherine said, pointing at the food table. "Help yourself."
"Yeah," Leilani said with a teasing smile as she took back her veggie kabob. "Get your own."
After they finished eating, Samantha and Trey stood in the gravel by the deck.
"I'm gonna get another soda," Samantha said. "Do you want anything?"
"Nah, I'm good," he said. "I think I've had four cans."
"Yeah, you'd think you never had a Dr. Pepper before," she teased.
"It's my favorite," he said with an unapologetic smile.
"I know," she said, nudging him playfully. "I'll be right back."
After she walked away, Trey bent and examined the spindles on the railing.
Cody stepped off the deck and noticed Trey running his fingers along the grooves of one of the spindles. He hesitated for a second and then moved closer.
"Commander McGarrett's dad designed 'em," he said.
Trey looked up at him.
"What?" he asked.
Cody pointed. "The spindles. Before he died, Commander McGarrett's dad was going to build a deck here, and he designed those."
"Really?" He looked back at the spindles.
"Yeah. I helped him put some uh . . . sealant stuff on them, so they don't get messed up in the rain or whatever. That's when he told me about his dad designing them."
"That's kinda cool."
"Yeah."
"You helped with the deck?" Trey asked, straightening.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "I mean . . . just with the sealant."
"That's cool."
Cody nodded, straightening a little.
Steve, having watched the exchanged from across the yard, smiled at the sight.
Grace, Marcus, Casey, Dylan, and Jacob were playing fetch down on the beach with Cammie as Kono, Esther, and Kamekona looked on.
Jerry was walking toward the drink coolers when he noticed Jenna and Kaitlyn sitting in two chairs in the yard. Jenna leaned over and spoke quietly to Kaitlyn, pointing at the group on the beach. Kaitlyn shook her head. Jenna gave her a small smile before patting her leg and standing. She looked at Kaitlyn once more but the young girl shook her head again. Jenna nodded at her and walked down to the beach.
After a moment, Jerry walked over to the chair she had vacated and sat down.
"Hey," he said.
Kaitlyn looked at him quickly, then down at the ground.
"Hi," she said quietly.
"Mine name is Jerry, remember?" he asked. "We met before? With your mom?"
"Yeah."
He paused, looking down at the beach.
"You don't want to play with the other kids?" he asked.
"Not right now," she said, still looking down. "I'll just watch."
He paused again and then leaned down a little.
"You know, I was a little afraid of Cammie when I first met her, too," he said quietly.
Kaitlyn looked up at him, her eyes wide. "You were?"
"Yeah."
"But you're . . . you're big," she said in amazement. "You're a big grown-up."
He gave her a little smile. "I know. But I was still a little scared."
"What did you do?" she asked.
"She brought me her ball . . . and we played fetch." He smiled. "For a long time."
Kaitlyn scrunched up her face. "Wasn't the ball wet and icky?"
Jerry laughed. "Yeah, but . . . it was still pretty fun."
"It was?" she asked, her face serious.
"Yeah." He nodded toward the beach. "I bet she would play fetch with you. If you wanted."
Kaitlyn followed his gaze and was silent for a long moment.
"What if she jumps on me?" she finally asked in a small voice.
"Cammie is really good. She doesn't jump up on people."
Kaitlyn looked at him. "She doesn't?"
He shook his head. "I've never seen her do it even once."
Kaitlyn bit her lip.
"I don't know . . ." she said.
Jerry paused.
"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.
Kaitlyn looked back to the beach and saw her mother watching. Jenna smiled encouragingly.
Kaitlyn looked back at Jerry. "Maybe just one throw," she said. She looked at him imploringly. "And you'll come, too?"
He nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
He stood and waited. Kaitlyn slowly stood and reached for his hand. Together they walked toward the beach and the group playing with Cammie.
Grace spotted her and ran over.
"Kaitlyn!" she said happily. "Do you want to throw the ball for Cammie?"
Kaitlyn nodded silently.
Grace held her hands up and Casey threw her the ball.
Cammie jumped from side to side in anticipation.
Grace handed Kaitlyn the ball. Kaitlyn cringed a little at the dampness as she took it in one hand. She looked up at Jerry. He nodded.
Kaitlyn pulled her arm back and threw the ball several feet away. Cammie bounded after it and returned swiftly. Kaitlyn shuffled closer to Jerry as Cammie approached but the dog simply dropped the ball in front of her and backed up, tail wagging and ready for another throw.
"Throw it again, Kaitlyn!" Dylan called.
Kaitlyn let go of Jerry's hand to pick up the ball and threw it even further. She squealed as Cammie took off, and Kaitlyn ran toward Jenna.
"I was brave, Mom, I was brave!" she cried happily. "Did you see me throw the ball?"
"I did!" Jenna exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I am so proud of you, honey."
Cody stood in the living room with his hands in his pockets when Steve came in with a stack of dirty plates.
"Hey," he said when saw Cody. "What's up?"
"Oh, just . . ." he motioned in the direction of the downstairs bathroom. "Waiting."
"There's one upstairs," Steve said and pointed. "Go up and to the right."
Cody hesitated.
"Go ahead," Steve said, waving the teen toward the stairs as he headed for the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Cody was coming down the stairs and stopped on the landing to look at the photos on the wall.
Steve came out of the kitchen and saw him. He smiled, approaching the stairs.
"Find it okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Cody said with a quick glance at him.
Steve climbed a couple of the stairs.
"Whose uh . . . whose grandma is this?" Cody asked, pointing at a photo. "Yours or Lieutenant Rollins'?"
"Nonna?" Steve asked. He smiled fondly. "She's . . . neither. And both."
Cody looked at him in confusion.
"She's Danny's grandmother. Detective Williams," he clarified. "Grace's great-grandmother. But she pretty much became our grandmother the instant Catherine and I met her. That's just . . . that's how she is." He motioned at the photos on the wall. "Catherine actually got the idea for this photo wall from Nonna's house." He pointed to the wall leading further up the stairs. "We'll keep adding to it as the years go by."
Cody nodded, looking back at the photo of Nonna, Steve, and Catherine.
Steve smiled. "You'll meet her when she comes to the island again someday."
Cody looked at him, surprised, and Steve nodded with a confident smile.
Biting his lip thoughtfully, Cody turned back to the photos. He tilted his head slightly as he looked at one of Danny and Grace.
"You said Detective Williams is your brother, right?" he asked. "Even though you're not related, like, by blood?"
"That's right," Steve said.
"So Grace calls you . . ."
"Uncle Steve, yeah."
Cody paused, staring at the photos.
"Family's not only something you're born into, Cody," Steve said. "Family's made."
Cody looked at him, and Steve held his gaze, their eyelines even.
"Some people only have one or other," he said. "But if you're really lucky . . ." He gave him a meaningful look. "You've got both."
Outside, Jacob was pulling Casey by the hand along the path of lanterns.
"There's writing on all of them, Casey!" he said. "What's this one say?"
He knelt beside a spindle with anchors decorating it. She squatted to get a closer look.
" 'The winds blew you both in the right direction. To where you belong. Together. Love, Carrie and John,' " she read. She smiled at the words.
" 'Winds'?" Jacob asked. "Blew who?"
"I think they mean Lieutenant Catherine and Commander McGarrett."
Jacob look confused. "I don't think the wind is strong enough to blow Commander anywhere. He's really strong. And Lieutenant Catherine is, too."
Casey shook her head. "No, not like . . . actually blow, it's . . . I think it's a . . . a metaphor or something like that."
Jacob looked more confused.
"Never mind," she said, smiling. "It's a nice thing to say. Trust me."
"Okay," he said.
"Hey, Casey," they heard Grace call. "Jacob."
They looked over to where Grace was standing with their mother and siblings.
"Come here a second," Grace said, waving them over.
Catherine stood on the deck with Frank and Kathy.
"Thank you so much for having us," Kathy said.
"Thank you for coming," Catherine returned. "And for all your help finishing the deck. And for the stories about Steve's dad. Those really meant a lot."
"I'm so happy we had them to share," Frank said.
Steve stepped up beside Catherine. "Hey, are you guys leaving?" he asked.
"Yes," Frank said. "This was great, Steve, thanks very much." He held out his hand for Steve to shake.
"Thank you," Steve said as he shook his hand. "Can you hang on a sec?"
At Frank and Kathy's agreement, Steve looked at Catherine who nodded to him. He turned toward the yard and called out, "Hey, everybody, can you come over here for a minute?"
As they gathered closer, Steve put his arm around Catherine's shoulders and looked around the deck and yard.
"We just wanted to thank you all for being here today for . . ." He glanced at Catherine and smiled before looking back around. "The first of many barbecues."
There was a collective cheer from the group.
"This deck has been a really special project for us," Steve continued with another quick glance at the woman beside him.
Catherine smiled encouragingly and ran a hand over his back.
"For me," Steve said a little quieter, his eyes drifting down to the railing in front of him.
He ran his hand over the wood and swallowed before raising his eyes again.
"I think you all know why," he said. "And what's made it even more special, is that we've built this deck with all of you.
Beside him, Catherine nodded her agreement.
"And we're so glad we get to share it with friends," she said. "With family." She looked around at the gathered group and smiled. "Thank you all so much."
After about half of the guests had left, those remaining helped clean up as much as Steve and Catherine would let them.
"Are you sure we can't help any more?" Jenna asked her hosts as they stood in the yard together.
"No, no," Catherine said. "We appreciate the kids getting all the cans collected. That was a huge help."
Steve nodded across the yard at Adam who was pointing in the direction of the garage. He and Gabby were gathering folding chairs, and Leilani and Jerry helped carry them.
Jenna looked toward the house as Grace came out the back door followed by all five of the Allen kids.
Danny, Chin, and Kono saw the group of children moving toward Steve, Catherine, and Jenna, and joined them.
"Well," Jenna said. "We have a little something for you, thanks to Grace."
Cody held out one of the small spindles to Steve and Catherine.
Steve took it carefully by the ends, looking at the names written in permanent marker as Catherine pressed close to his side to look as well.
He glanced around at them. "Did you guys all–"
"We didn't know what to say at first besides 'Thanks,' " Dylan started.
"But then after what you said," Jenna continued. "About this being the first of many . . . well . . ." She smiled at her children, putting an arm around Casey who was beside her. "We're so thankful to be included."
Catherine reached out and squeezed her arm. "And we're so glad you feel that way. You're part of our ohana now."
Jenna looked around at the Five-0 team who were all nodding their agreement. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"We still have to put the sealant on," Grace said.
Cody looked at Steve. "I thought . . . maybe I could do it sometime."
Steve nodded sincerely. "I think that is an excellent idea."
"What's it say?" Kono asked.
Steve looked down. He cleared his throat and read, " 'Families are born and also made.' " He glanced over at Cody before continuing, " 'We can't think of a better one to join. Thank you for everything. Love, Jenna, Cody, Casey, Dylan, Kaitlyn, and Jacob.' "
That evening, after all their guests had left, Steve and Catherine stood on their beautiful deck with Cammie at their feet.
"The first of many," Catherine said quietly, sliding her arm around Steve's waist.
He draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to kiss the side of her head.
"Yeah," he agreed. "That's what I told Mary earlier. She was sorry she and Joan were missing it today."
"You should call her."
"Yeah, I think I will. In a bit."
They stood quietly a moment.
" 'Families are born and also made,' " she quoted from their newest spindle. "That was you, wasn't it?" She looked up at him. "You told Cody that. Didn't you?"
"Pretty close, yeah. I'm . . ." He swallowed. "I'm really glad he took it to heart."
"I think he probably takes everything you say to heart."
Steve nodded slowly.
"It took me a long time to learn that," he said quietly. "To learn that families could be made as well as born." He gave her a small smile. "And you know who taught me that, right?"
She smiled. "I have an inkling."
He held her gaze.
"Thank you for being my family, Catherine."
She blinked back tears.
"Thank you for being mine."
He pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his other arm around her back and closing his eyes as he leaned his head on hers.
After a few moments, he released her and she looked up at him.
"You coming in?" she asked.
"Yeah, in a second."
"Okay." She leaned up to kiss him gently. After squeezing his hand, she said, "Come on, Cammie."
The dog rose immediately and followed her inside.
After the door closed, Steve stepped to edge of the deck and placed his hands on the railing. He ran his fingers along the grooves at the top of two of the spindles.
"Thanks, Dad."
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: Never fear, REAL McRollers! There WILL be a more detailed scene about Mary and Joan receiving their special bedside tables in a future story.
Another huge, huge thank you to Mari and Sammy for their quick answers to questions, amazing "in-doc" feedback, and their PHENOMENAL suggestions for this one.
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