Mari & Ilna—I could have never imagined two years ago what fun we would have creating and writing in this universe. Not to mention becoming friends. Here's to many more years.
REAL Worlders—your feedback and reviews are always amazing but there have been many throughout this marathon that have moved me to tears. THANK YOU for your enthusiasm and support.
By a Mile
McGarrett Rollins Home
Thursday 9:45 A.M.
Master Bathroom
"You know," Catherine said as she stood back and admired the first ten rows of tiles in the new shower, "If this catching all the bad guys things doesn't work out for you, I think you have a real future in home remodeling."
"You think so," Steve chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at her.
"I absolutely do," she grinned. "These tiles look fantastic."
At room temperature the glass tiles appeared solid black. Catherine and Steve had initially feared they might make the bathroom feel small, but once the back wall was bumped out to make room for the soaking tub the entire space opened up and the new tiles worked perfectly.
"That's because we installed them together." Steve's facial expression softened as he stepped back beside Catherine and draped an arm over her shoulders. "We make a great team."
She kissed him on the cheek. "That we do."
"Maybe we could be a husband and wife remodeling team," Steve suggested with a playful smile. "Rollins and McGarrett."
"I can see our business cards now," Catherine volleyed back. "You give us your project and we'll nail it."
"Very clever." Steve laughed. "You'll be the brains of the outfit and I'll be the muscle."
"This is just if you catch all the bad guys, as Joan is convinced you will definitely do someday, and we have to look for other work."
"Right," Steve chuckled. "It's our plan B." He looked at what they'd completed already on the new shower and nodded. "I'm glad we went with these tiles."
"Me too."
"I'm also glad we hired professionals to move the wall and the plumbing lines. It's really gonna end up saving us a lot of time."
"I figure if we can get these tiles done today we should be able to get the painting done before the new sink and vanity are delivered tomorrow afternoon, along with the soaking tub, and we might actually be finished by the end of the weekend," Catherine said hopefully.
Steve waggled his eyebrows. "Which would mean we'd have plenty of time to break in that amazing soaking tub before we have to head back to work."
"I like the way you think, Commander," Catherine purred.
Steve stepped in front of her and pulled her body tightly against his. "You inspire me, Lieutenant," he growled.
He dipped his head and touched his lips gently to her. Within seconds their bodies ignited and it morphed into a passionate kiss. His hands found their way under her shirt and he began moving it upwards without breaking the kiss. As he reached her breasts he felt Catherine's fingers undo the button of his shorts and he began walking them backwards towards the bed.
"What about the rest of the tiles?" Catherine teased as her hands moved inside his boxers.
"We'll work extra hard this afternoon," he moaned as he lowered her to the bed.
12:15 P.M.
"Danny texted," Catherine said as she reentered the master bathroom after taking Cammie to the back yard for a potty trip. "He wanted to know if it would be ok if he stopped over for a few minutes."
Steve's brow furrowed. "Anything wrong?"
"I don't think so." Catherine shook her head. "He just said he has something to drop off and he wanted to see the progress on the bathroom."
A second later they heard a loud knock followed by the sound of the front door opening. "Anybody home?" Danny called from the living room.
"We're upstairs," Catherine replied.
"I have to drop something in the refrigerator then I'll be right up."
Steve and Catherine looked at each other quizzically.
A minute later they heard multiple sets of footsteps and looked up just in time to see both Nonna and Danny appear through the bedroom door.
"Nonna, we didn't know you were coming. What a nice surprise." Catherine hugged her tightly, followed by Steve.
"I didn't want Daniel to tell you I was riding along because I didn't want you to feel obligated if you were busy," Nonna explained.
"We are never too busy for you," Catherine said adamantly as Steve nodded his agreement.
"You're both very sweet," Nonna beamed.
"I know this will shock you," Danny teased. "We brought food."
"Really?" Steve looked at Nonna. "You didn't have to do that."
"It's nothing much," Nonna scoffed. "Just some lasagna. And a little antipasto. Some crusty bread. And a few slices of cheesecake. All leftovers. No trouble at all. Besides, I wanted an excuse to see how the work on the bathroom is coming along."
"You never need an excuse to come visit," Steve said. "You can just call and one of us will come get you."
"You're adorable," Nonna patted his cheek. "Married life clearly agrees with you." She smiled at Catherine. "With both of you."
"Chin said he thought you were gonna have the tiles in by this afternoon," Danny said as he stepped into the bathroom and saw the shower was only tiled two-thirds of the way up.
"We got a little … " Steve looked at Nonna and chose his words carefully, "sidetracked … this morning. We'll be done by dinnertime though."
"Oh my, aren't these tiles beautiful." Nonna stepped into the bathroom doorway.
Steve retrieved a chair from the bedroom and placed it in the corner so Nonna could sit.
"Thank you, nipote."
"The tiles change colors when they heat up," Catherine said.
"That's what I hear," Nonna responded. "Daniel has been talking about them for weeks."
"Here let me show you." Catherine walked into the bedroom and grabbed her hairdryer. She plugged it in, turned it on, pointed it at the tiles and smiled broadly as they began to change into multiple hues of blue and green.
"Amazing," Nonna smiled delightedly.
Danny rolled his eyes. "Just what you two need."
"Don't listen to him," Nonna said. "It's going to be perfect. And even more so because you're doing it yourselves and you're doing it with love, which makes everything better … whether it's cooking or remodeling a room."
"Thank you," Catherine smiled. "How did your dinner with Boris and Gus go last night?"
"Absolutely wonderful," Nonna bubbled. "What delightful men they are. Boris brought his boyfriend and the three of them kept me in stitches all evening."
"They were all three big fans of the lasagna," Danny said.
"You know we love your lasagna," Catherine said, "but you could have given them the leftovers instead of bringing them here for us."
Danny snorted. "Don't worry about that. They each got a pan to take home and freeze."
"Oh and I almost forgot to tell you." Nonna's face broke into a wide smile. "Boris said he can't believe how many pictures your wedding guests have been sending in. He said he's never seen anything like it. He and Gus are working on organizing them now and he'll be calling you within a few days to arrange a time for you to see them."
"That sounds fantastic," Catherine smiled. "Can you stay for a while? I can cut up some fruit and we can sit on the deck."
"I'd love to, bella, but I really need to get back to the hotel. Ang and I have a hair appointment at 3:00 and then a bunch of us have reservations for the luau tonight. Sal and Angela can't wait. They've never been to an authentic one. Your Uncle Jim and Aunt Susan are coming too. And their children and grandchildren."
"Sounds like a party," Steve smiled.
"You're welcome to come," Danny offered.
"We'd love to," Steve said, "but we really need to get this tiling done tonight."
"That's what I figured," Nonna nodded. "And that's why I wanted to bring over the lasagna. You need to keep your strength up for all the … remodeling."
Catherine and Steve blushed simultaneously as Danny laughed at the guileless look on Nonna's face.
8:00 P.M.
Hours later, after the tile job was completed and they'd enjoyed Nonna's lasagna sandwiched between sessions of lovemaking, some slow and tender and some acrobatic, they lay curled together contentedly in bed.
Catherine's phone buzzed with an incoming message but she didn't want to extricate herself from her husband's embrace to see who it was from. It couldn't possibly be an emergency. If it was Steve's phone would be going off too.
"You better check that," Steve said softly as he drew lazy circles on Catherine's bare shoulder. "It's the third message in the last couple of minutes."
Catherine reached, somewhat reluctantly, for her phone on the night stand, looked at the screen and laughed out loud. She turned the screen towards Steve to reveal a picture of Nonna, Grandma Ang, Aunt Susan, Angela, Theresa, Mary and Elizabeth dancing the hula.
"Who all went to the luau?" Steve chuckled.
Catherine scrolled through the pics and held out the phone once again for him to see. "Apparently the better question is … who didn't?"
It warmed Steve's heart to see so many of their friends and family members forming bonds with each other. "I think it's kind of awesome they're all spending time together."
"Me too," Catherine agreed.
"Wait … scroll back. Is that Cuzzi in the background in a grass skirt?"
"Sure looks like it," Catherine snorted.
"Text Angela and tell her I need a couple clear pictures of that."
"Will do."
Catherine opened a new message, typed a few words and chuckled when she received an almost immediately reply.
"I'm on it!"
"I'm really glad they're all having fun while they're here," she said,
"Me too," Steve said as he found himself unable to resist the sight of her naked back as she turned to place her phone back on the night stand. He splayed his hands around her ribcage and began kissing his way between her shoulder blades. "Although I think it's safe to say," he said as she turned in his arms, "We're having more fun."
"Not everything is a contest, Steve," she sighed as he began to pepper kisses along her jawline.
When he reached her lips he kissed her deeply as he slid one hand under the covers, across her belly and between her legs.
He smiled when he felt as much as heard her soft moan.
"If we were keeping score though, we'd be winning," he chuckled against her lips.
"Oh yeah. By a mile."
THE END
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