Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for your amazing feedback and constant support. And thanks to Mari for the dialogue that sparked this story months ago!

Thanks to Esther for your enthusiasm and feedback!

Thanks to my family for being so understanding on vacation ;-)

Thank you, readers and REAL McRollers, for your incredibly positive response and overwhelming support for Cody's character and his relationship with Steve. It is truly heartwarming and very much appreciated.

Hope you enjoy!

Best Thing (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

"Here we are," Steve said as he pulled the truck into the driveway.

"Whoa," Cody said, his eyes widening slightly. "This is your house?"

"Yep." Steve pulled his keys from the ignition. "Mine and Catherine's," he said as he got out of the vehicle.

Cody slid out of the passenger side and put his backpack over his shoulder. He followed Steve toward the house.

"Where's she?" Cody asked.

Steve glanced at him. "Catherine? She's finishing up in court. She'll probably stop by before she meets up with your mom and Jacob for his haircut."

"He said he wants to get his hair cut short like he's in the Navy."

"Did he?" Steve asked as they reached the front door.

"Yeah."

Steve chuckled. "Well, I could have done that for him."

"He likes going to Brenda's. She's got this racecar cape thing she uses for little kids. He always wants to wear it home."

Steve unlocked the front door and opened it.

"And this, of course, is Cammie," he said, stepping inside and smiling at the excited dog. He nodded at Cody to come inside. "Go on, say hello. Let her get to know you."

"Hey, Cammie." Cody put his hand out and Cammie sniffed it enthusiastically before moving on to smell his pants and shoes.

Steve shut the door and watched as a smiling Cody knelt to rub Cammie's back and neck. Cammie gave a happy woof in response and licked the teen's cheek. Cody laughed.

"Looks like you two are fast friends," Steve said and scratched the dog's head with a smile.

He ducked quickly into the kitchen and came back with three bottles of water.

"Come on out back," Steve said. "You can leave your stuff in here." He motioned to the living room furniture. "You said your homework is finished, right?"

"Yeah," Cody said, standing. "I did most of it in study hall and finished the rest before you picked me up."

"Good."

Cody set his backpack on the chair and followed Steve to the back door with Cammie right beside him.

"Whoa!" Cody said again as he stepped outside onto the deck. "You've got a beach and everything? Like, right outside your house?"

"Yep," Steve said and set the water bottles by the railing.

Cody was staring out at the ocean. "Awesome," he murmured.

"That's why I told you to bring your trunks. We get done working early enough, we'll have time for a swim."

Cody looked at him. "And what do we gotta do again? Paint the deck railing?"

"Not exactly paint but . . . similar. We're gonna apply a stain and sealant to the railing and the spindles. That'll keep them the color we want and protect them against the sun and rain."

Cody pushed his hands in his pockets and shrugged self-consciously. "I've never painted anything before . . ."

"No problem," Steve assured him. "I'll show you how. Catherine and I already did the sanding earlier in the week and tested the stain and sealant. So now you and I are going to actually apply it. And it's all-in-one, so just the one coat." He nodded once. "Piece of cake."

Cody still looked wary. "If you say so."

"I do."

"I just don't want to . . . you know . . ." he shrugged again, looking around the deck. "I mean, it looks so good right now and I don't want to . . ."

"Hey." He waited until Cody met his eyes. "I want your help with this."

Cody paused and held Steve's gaze.

Finally, he took his hands out of his pockets and nodded. "Okay."

"Do you want something to eat before we start?" Steve asked.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Okay. Then hang on a sec." He stepped off the deck. "Cammie, come."

Steve led the dog into the yard and clipped her on her leash.

As he walked back toward the deck he explained, "She'll be curious about what we're doing, and I want to keep her safe."

Cody nodded.

Steve walked to the house and pulled a pair of safety glasses and protective gloves from a bag and held them out to Cody. "Here, put these on."

Cody cocked an eyebrow.

"Safety first," Steve said. He motioned at the can of stain and sealant at his feet. "You don't want this stuff on your skin and you really don't want it in your eyes."

Cody nodded and took the safety gear. Steve put his own glasses and gloves on before handing Cody two bristle brushes and picking up the can and paint stick himself. He motioned to the spot where they would begin and the two took their places.

Steve removed the lid of the can and dipped the stick in, stirring slowly.

"You gotta be careful when you're stirring," he said. "You don't want to go too fast or you'll get air bubbles, and that'll affect the finish." He nodded to Cody. "Here, you try."

Cody took the stick gingerly. With a quick glance at Steve, he focused on the can and stirred the contents slowly.

"There," Steve said. "Good."

Cody continued stirring and after a moment asked, "You really built this deck by yourself?"

"Not by myself. Catherine and I have had a lot of help from our friends."

"But . . . you guys built it?" He stopped and looked at Steve. "Like, actually built it? With tools and stuff?"

"We actually built it," Steve confirmed with a smile. "With tools and stuff." He nodded at the can. "Keep stirring."

Cody stirred slowly and said, "I never knew anybody who could . . . like . . . do that kind of thing."

"It just takes a good plan, the right tools and materials, and some know-how." Steve smiled. "And after today, you'll know how to stain and seal wood. So there's a start."

Cody's mouth tugged up in a smile.

"Here," Steve said, taking the stick back. "Let's see how we're doing."

He stirred the mixture a few more times, examining the consistency.

Cody looked at the railing, running his fingers along one of the spindles.

"These . . . uh, what'd you call 'em? Spindles?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"They're really . . . kind of cool. I've never seen any like this."

"That's because they're unique," Steve said. "My father sketched out a design when he was thinking about putting a deck back here years ago. He showed the idea to a woodworker who owns a lumber yard in town, a man named Oke Oleani." He smiled softly. "My dad never got the chance to build the deck, but Oke hung on to the design, and when Catherine and I went to him about our plans and to see if he remembered anything about what my dad wanted to do, he showed us the sample he'd made and kept all those years."

Cody paused, his brow knitted in thought.

"So it's . . . it's kind of like your dad helped," he said finally. "Like . . . in a way, he's getting to build the deck through you."

Steve gave him a small smile. "Yeah, it is. It's certainly felt that way to me." He glanced around. "It was also his idea to make sure the deck was big enough for entertaining a lot of family and friends." He turned back to Cody and smiled. "So when it's all finished, we're gonna have a big barbecue with all our friends. Including your family."

A smile grew slowly on Cody's face. He glanced down briefly then looked back up at Steve.

Steve nodded at the brushes. "Okay. You ready to do this?"

"Yeah," Cody said with more confidence in his voice. "Show me what to do."

Steve and Cody were taking a break a little later, their safety glasses and gloves on the deck beside them as they sat in the opening between the railings.

Cammie, who had been lying in the grass next to her water bowl, jumped up and woofed happily a moment before Catherine opened the back door and stepped outside with two full glasses in her hands.

"Hi," she said with a warm smile at Steve and Cody who had turned toward her. "Looks like you two got right to work."

"Yeah, I want to get the coat on while it's still light," Steve said. "Everything go okay today?"

"Yeah, I'll fill you in later," she said. "I see you have water, but I thought you guys might like some lemonade."

She handed a glass to each of them.

"Thanks, Lieutenant Cath–" Cody started. His mouth twitched in an embarrassed smile. "I mean, Lieutenant Rollins."

She winked at him. "Either one is fine."

Catherine stepped past them and went to where Cammie was waiting impatiently for her.

"Hey, pretty girl," she said and knelt to greet the dog affectionately. "Looks like you've got something to drink, too."

At the word, Cammie went over to her bowl and lapped at the cool water Steve had poured for her.

Catherine walked back to the deck and squatted down to look at a portion of the railing that Steve and Cody had finished.

"Well?" Steve asked with a smile.

Cody bit his lip. "I've uh . . . I've never done this before," he said.

Catherine stood and smiled genuinely at him. "I would never have guessed. It looks great."

Cody looked down, a small smile on his face. He glanced at Steve before looking back at Catherine.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Catherine smiled. "I'm heading out for Jacob's haircut. Have fun, guys. There's stuff for sandwiches in the fridge when you get hungry."

She bent and kissed Steve on the cheek.

"Thanks, Cath," he said softly.

She nodded, then flashed a quick smile to the teen and said, "Bye, Cody."

"Bye. Thanks for the lemonade."

"You're welcome."

Steve's eyes followed her as she walked to the door and disappeared inside the house. A moment later, they heard the front door open and close.

Steve turned back to face the ocean and took a drink, a small smile still on his face.

Cody paused, his eyes on Steve.

"You and the lieutenant . . ." he started quietly. "You really love her, huh?"

Steve looked at him, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise at the question.

Cody swallowed and inclined his head in the direction Catherine had gone.

"Your eyes change . . . when you look at her."

Steve's expression softened again.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "She's the best thing in my life."

Cody paused, looking down at his glass.

"I don't think my dad . . . I don't think he ever felt that way about Mom."

"And that is his loss. Because your mom's an incredible person."

Cody glanced at him briefly but then looked back down.

Steve sighed. "Cody, I don't know . . . what your dad felt or didn't feel for your mom. Only he knows that. Relationships they . . ." He shook his head as he searched for the words he wanted. "They're all different. And they change. People change. Or . . . in other cases, people don't change. And that affects a relationship just as much."

Cody ran his thumb along the wood on the edge of the deck between them, his eyes downcast. "Mom says she always thought he would change . . . until the day she realized that wasn't going to happen."

"But the thing is . . . that isn't an excuse for what he did. What he's still doing. The fact that he's never been there for you and your brothers and sisters . . ." Steve shook his head in disgust. "There isn't a word for how wrong that is."

Cody shifted and remained silent.

Steve leaned forward to try and catch his eyes. "And that's on him. Okay?" He regarded Cody earnestly. "You know that, right? That is all on him. That's not on your mom, it's not on your siblings, and it is not on you, Cody. You hear me?"

Cody swallowed thickly, his shoulders hunched, and nodded but didn't raise his head.

"It's not on you," Steve repeated firmly. "And you are not alone."

Cody looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, and Steve held his gaze.

"I know . . ." Steve stopped and licked his lips. "I know how that feels," he said. "And I also know what it's like to realize that you're not alone."

Cody cleared his throat and ran the back of his hand under his nose. "I know . . . my family. And I . . . I love them, but sometimes . . ." his voice trailed off and he sniffed.

"You're not alone, Cody," Steve said again and waited until the teen looked at him. "Not while I'm here."

Cody could only hold his gaze for a moment before he looked down. Swallowing, he wiped his eyes and exhaled slowly. His nod was barely perceptible.

Steve waited a beat, then straightened and lightened his tone. "So what do you think? We gonna finish the rest of this railing?"

Cody's look was relieved and grateful. "Yeah." He shifted and looked at the now half empty can of stain and sealant. "Should we . . . I mean, do we need to stir this up again? Since it's been sitting?"

Steve gave him a small, proud smile and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we do."

Cody put his safety glasses and gloves back on and picked up paint stick. Steve watched as he slowly started to stir the contents.

"I've never done anything like this," Cody said, his eyes on the motion of his hand as he stirred. "It's kind of cool. Thanks for . . ." His voice faltered slightly, and he swallowed, looking at Steve. "For letting me help."

Steve nodded his full understanding.

"Absolutely."

Steve found Catherine standing on the deck after he returned from dropping Cody off.

"Hey," she said, turning toward him. "You guys finished. It looks fantastic."

He nodded, his eyes on her. His gaze shifted to the railing.

"Yeah, he was a quick study," he said, his voice quiet. He looked back at her. "I think he liked doing it. Making something that will last."

Her smile was soft and knowing as she rubbed his arm. "He's not the only one."

He was silent, and she turned to look out at the ocean. His eyes stayed on her profile and after a moment, she glanced at him.

"You okay?" she asked.

In response he turned her fully to him and kissed her deeply.

When he finally pulled back, she ran a hand over his shoulder and looked at him curiously with just a hint of concern.

"Not that I'm ever complaining but . . . what brought that on?" she asked.

His voice was low as he said, "I love you, Catherine. So much."

She smiled. "I love you."

He shook his head slowly in amazement. "Thank you for that. And for being there. Even when you weren't . . . physically there. Back when I . . . I don't know if you know how much I . . . how I needed . . ."

She tilted her head and smiled softly, squeezing his arm gently.

"I know, Steve."

"When I thought I was alone and that no one . . . that I didn't . . ." He sighed and closed his eyes. "But you were always . . ."

She put her hand to his cheek, and he looked at her.

"I know," she said.

He held her gaze then wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly for a long moment.

Bending to rest his head in her neck, he closed his eyes and murmured, "Best thing."

"Hmm?"

He straightened to look at her.

"You're the best thing in my life. And you have been for a long, long time."

Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"And you're the best thing in mine."

Hope you enjoyed!

Keep track of all the REAL World stories on our Tumblr page - mcrollintherealworld at tumblr dot com

You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line.

And find Mari on Twitter asking your opinions on all things McRoll in the REAL World! Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller