Ride Along

by Meghan Maslow

  Josh’s fingers were entwined with Drew’s on the table for anyone to see. Drew had been so wrong. Once Josh made up his mind, he was incredibly affectionate. Nothing like he’d been when they’d first met. Josh was even more into touch than Drew, and that was saying something.

  Josh was rubbing his thumb over Drew’s hand and laughing at something Laura said, and that’s when Drew saw them. That jerk Martin and another cop. Coming their way. He saw the exact moment they recognized Josh. And him. The other cop grabbed Martin’s arm, tried to pull him in another direction, but Martin yanked his arm free and made for them like a homing missile.

  Drew must have tensed, because both Laura and Josh fell silent and turned to see what had upset him. Drew tugged his hand from Josh’s, not wanting to make things worse, but Josh snatched his hand back and shook his head.

  “I’m not hiding us. I love you and I want the world to know it.”

  Wow, that was….

  Before Drew could respond, Josh’s coworkers were upon them, Martin’s expression gleeful. Christmas in September. Great. Drew felt Josh stiffen, but he didn’t pull away.

  “What the hell do you want, Martin? Garcia?”

  “Well, well, Olive. No reason to get nasty. Can’t a couple buddies come by to say hi to your boyfriend?”

  “My boyfriend doesn’t associate with scum, so you should probably move along before we lose our appetites.”

  “I guess your ride along really was a good time. Shoulda known you were a—”

  “I recommend you watch your mouth, Officer.” Drew kept his voice upbeat. “I have this habit of recording my interactions with authority figures.” He held up his phone. “I would hate to have to report you to your superiors. Such an inconvenience. Now, you were saying?”

  Laura chuckled, gave him a thumbs-up. Drew might not be some big macho cop, but he’d just effectively wrested control away from the two hulking officers. He smirked.

  Martin turned a deep shade of red. Drew swore he could hear Martin’s teeth grind together. Good. He hoped they fell out.

  “Yeah, run along, Martin.” Josh’s tone wasn’t near as light as his, so Drew squeezed his fingers. Josh squeezed back, his posture relaxing a fraction.

  Martin glared daggers at Josh but whirled on his heel, followed closely by Garcia. Martin shot over his shoulder, “Nice shiner, Olive. I wonder how that happened?” He chortled as though he’d told the funniest joke.

  Drew was on his feet in an instant. Josh jumped up and wrapped an arm around Drew’s shoulders before he could launch himself at Martin. Garcia shoved Martin, prodding him away from the table.

  “He’s not worth it,” Josh whispered in his ear.

  “Yeah, I know. But he could have gotten you killed.” Drew’s adrenaline was high, and he wanted nothing more than to shake Martin senseless. He turned into Josh, clasped him tight, and whispered for Josh alone, “I love you too. Has anyone told you, you have lousy timing?”

  Josh squeezed him hard, and then they broke apart and returned to their seats. Drew wiped a tear away before it could track down his cheek. Must be all the dust from the harbor. That was his story and he was sticking to it.

  “Impressive move, Drew.” Laura patted his arm. “You really took all the steam out of that guy’s engines, hon.”

  “I’m working on speaking up for myself. It’s nice that others”—he shot her a meaningful look—“are always so ready to stand up for me, but I need to do it myself.”

  “You did that, bem.” Josh beamed at him. “I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel or something.”

  Laura tilted her head, her gaze narrowing. “Did that officer give you that black eye, Josh?”

  Drew growled, then filled her in on what had happened.

  “Have you talked to Internal Affairs?” Laura’s brow was furrowed.

  “They’ve done an investigation of some other instances I’ve complained about. Nothing has come from it. Other than to paint an even larger target on my back. My lieutenant is sympathetic, but everything’s been done under the radar. She knows something’s going on, but without catching anyone in the act, what can she do? She’s already warned Martin a couple times.”

  “I think you should consider talking to a lawyer.”

  “I don’t know if I want to go that route. It seems like it would escalate everything. And honestly, I just want it to all go away. It’s not everyone—just one lousy cop. If Sarge wasn’t protecting him, this wouldn’t even be an issue.” He raked fingers through his hair, his ease of just a short time ago gone. Drew reached out and took his hand again.

  “Excuse me?”

  They all turned to see Officer Garcia standing there.

  “What do you want?” snapped Drew. “If you so much as say ‘boo’ to Josh, we’ll report your ass so fast it will make your head spin. I’m sick of this shit.”

  Officer Garcia held up his hands in a placating manner. “I wanted to apologize for my partner. Olive, what he’s doing to you isn’t right. I just wanted to say I don’t have anything against you. For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing, man. And I’m not the only one. We just aren’t as vocal. Until now. I went to the lieutenant about last night’s cluster. There was no excuse, and I’m done keeping quiet. I hope when this all shakes out we can be friends. You’re a good officer.” He held out his hand.

  Josh stared at him but slowly reached out. They shook hands.

  “I gotta go before Bill causes more trouble. Just be careful. He—and the sarge—really got it out for you.” Garcia shifted his focus to Drew. “Be good to him. He’s a good guy.”

  With that he turned on his heel and blended back into the crowd.

  “Well, that was… good news.” Drew worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “Bad timing on coming out, though. Is it going to make things worse?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  “But now you can stay with the department, right? I mean, if Martin’s own partner reports on all the shit he’s been doing to you, they’ll have enough to act on it.”

  “Probably.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I meant what I said last night. I think I want to do something else.”

  “Oh.” Drew squeezed Josh’s hand. “Are you sure?”

  “My pai always said a man needs to know when it’s time to take a different path. It’s definitely time. But if they’re going after Martin, I want to stick around to make sure he and—hopefully the sarge too—go down. There are too many good cops in the department to keep a couple rotten ones around.”

  “So, what are you thinking?” Drew smiled. He’d help Josh in any way he was able.

  “The studio.”

  “Studio?” Laura asked. Drew jolted. He’d forgotten she was there for a moment. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

  “Yeah, Josh is like a tenth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu.” His stomach fluttered, excitement zinging through his veins at the memory of their sparring session.

  “Hardly tenth.” Josh rolled his eyes the way Drew knew he would. His lips turned up in a hint of a smile, though.

  “Well, it’s still superimpressive.”

  “Is that something you’d be interested in, Josh?” Laura leaned forward, her hair falling dangerously close to her veggie curry.

  “I think so. Drew mentioned it the other night, and I haven’t had much time to think about it. I do love it. And I wouldn’t mind showing others—kids in particular—how to practice. I… yeah, yeah, I think I would like it.”

  “Would the studio be here in Baltimore?” Laura asked.

  “I-I don’t know.” Josh’s face was serious as he considered Laura’s words. “It’s a lot to think about.”

  “I suggested Greenbelt,” Drew added. “There’s a great space available, it would be cheap, and he would have tons of people willing to help him out. Plus, College Park is just down the street, so it’s possible over time he could dr
aw some of the university crowd.”

  “And, of course, he’d get to see you more.” Laura smiled knowingly. Drew could feel himself blush. Dammit. But he didn’t really mind. Turned out Josh loved when he blushed. Drew had never considered his blushes as any more than an inconvenience, but he adored how Josh always got that amused, soft look on his face. So they both got something they liked. Win-win.

  “Yes, there is that.” Drew winked at Laura.

  “Okay,” Josh said.

  “Okay?” Drew turned to Josh.

  “I want to do it. I mean, not all at once. I’ll have to figure a lot of things out, but it sounds like it could work. I’m not sure I’ll be much of a businessman, though. And getting the money together, writing a business plan, getting the permits, and all the other stuff that goes with it, seems… I don’t know, daunting, I guess.”

  “That’s what friends are for.” Drew sat up, his body vibrating with energy. They could do this. “You know Ian is in real estate, right? And Meg has her own clinic. I’m sure she’d give you some pointers on how to run a business. And you know my parents would help. I could even help with some of your computer stuff. I could set up online booking and your website. And grant writing, of course. I really rock at it.”

  “That’s… generous, Drew, but I couldn’t take advantage like that. I wouldn’t be able to return the favor for a long time, if ever.”

  “It wouldn’t be taking advantage. We want to help, Joao. I want to help. Besides, you’ve already been returning the favor. I’ve never had such a good writing period, and my last book wouldn’t even have been submitted without your help. You’ve believed in me since the beginning.”

  Josh raised Drew’s hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on his palm. “You’re incredibly talented, bem. Seriously, you’re amazing, Drew. You know that, right?”

  “I’m sure you can find ways to remind me when I forget.” Drew would certainly look forward to it.

  Chapter THIRTEEN

  One Year Later

  JOSH PULLED the final box from Ian’s SUV and carried it up the walkway to Drew’s… no, as of today, their place.

  Josh smiled. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Drew and his family, but he wasn’t going to question his good luck. As he hefted the box, a group of middle school kids walked past. One of them waved. Seth. He’d become one of Josh’s first students at Joao’s Jiujitsu Studio. A good kid. A fast learner too. Josh called out a greeting, then continued to the house.

  Ian met him at the door and held it open. As soon as Josh set the box down in the living room, Ian handed him a beer.

  “Bless you.”

  Ian clapped him on the shoulder, a grin splitting his face. “You know, you can still back out. You do realize my little brother is a major pain in the ass, right?”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “Not any more than any of the rest of you Nolans.”

  “Ouch.” Ian rubbed his chest. “That one hurt.”

  “As much as when I kicked your ass at soccer last weekend?”

  “Fffftt. Lucky shot.”

  “We won seven to two. I made five of those goals. How is it lucky?” Josh took a long swig of his beer, heading for the back door. Ian followed.

  “Drew! Your boyfriend’s bragging about his mediocre soccer skills again,” Ian called.

  “Babe, stop denting my brother’s huge ego. It might be big, but it’s really fragile,” Drew said as he sidled up to Josh and gave him a kiss. Drew had his hair wrapped in a giant pile on his head and wore a big apron that said, “Kiss the Cook.”

  Ian flipped him the bird, but Drew ignored him.

  “Hi, bem. What are you grilling?”

  “Burgers and veggie burgers. They’ll be ready in a couple minutes.”

  Josh sniffed. “I think they need to be turned.”

  “Oh hell.” Drew sped back to the grill.

  Ian laughed. “My brother can burn water. I’m surprised my dad let him anywhere near the grill.”

  Josh looked around for the senior Nolan. He was talking to Louie. They were seated in lawn chairs in some sort of heated discussion. Those two had become fast friends over the last year. Josh had been nervous to introduce Louie to Drew’s family, but Louie was the only family he had left and he wasn’t about to give him up. Louie had shown up the first time in a simple pair of khakis, a peach-colored polo, and sandals. His lipstick matched his shirt. “If they’re going to judge me, Joao, better they do it now,” he’d said.

  Well, it had taken Shane back a bit, but by the end of the night, they were rehashing the former mayor of DC’s long tenure. Marion Barry had been a bit of an institution in the area and even Louie, a Bawlmer native, knew all about him.

  Goldstein, Garcia, and a couple other cops who’d helped Josh move seemed intent on Louie’s and Shane’s argument. He could only imagine what would catch their attention. Garcia met his gaze and tipped his beer in Josh’s direction. Josh smiled back and returned the gesture. Now that both Martin and the sarge were gone—though not quietly—he felt better knowing Baltimore was in capable hands again.

  Josh continued scanning all the faces, some old, some new, who’d made this last year one of the best of his life. Laura, Meg, and Drew’s mom were also in deep discussion, and by the covert looks they kept casting his and Drew’s way, he suspected they had something up their collective sleeve. He could only imagine what those three would come up with.

  “What do you think they’re planning?” Josh asked Ian.

  Ian looked in their direction, smirked. “Since Mom’s not frowning, I’d say they aren’t planning Drew’s murder.”

  “Drew’s murder?”

  “Yep. She about stroked out when he changed the locks.”

  Josh’s eyes shot to Drew. “She found out?”

  “Baby bro told her he didn’t want her busting in whenever she felt like it, now that you’ll be living here.”

  Josh stifled a laugh. Siobhan was going to hate that.

  Ian bumped him with his shoulder. “You’re good for him. He’s… more settled. But you didn’t hear it from me.”

  Josh could feel the smile forming. He was good for Drew. And Drew was definitely good for him.

  Ian broke away and headed toward the guys they played soccer with. He looked back over his shoulder. “Remember, if you need a place to hide from my brother… you’re on your own.”

  “Thanks, man!” Josh shook his head. Like he’d ever want to hide from him. He’d been hiding for way too long before he met Drew. He wasn’t ever doing it again. He circled around behind the grill and wrapped his arms around Drew. “You need some help?”

  Drew’s face was sweaty, but he glowed with happiness. “I’m good. The burgers might be a little on the well-done side, but we’ll live.”

  “So, I moved my last box in just now.”

  “Mmm, I know. It’s our place now. You’ll have plenty of time to arrange things next week while I’m in New York.” Drew flipped a veggie burger, leaned into him.

  “Wish you didn’t have to go, but I know you need to. It’ll probably be a blast. I bet you’ll have a line of fans clear around the block.”

  “I had a nightmare about it last night.” Drew wiped his forehead with a towel slung over his shoulder. “I was at the Mysterious Bookshop, but no one showed up. I guess even hitting the bestseller list doesn’t magically make those fears go away.”

  “Not just any bestseller. My boyfriend, the New York Times bestseller. You’re on your way, bem. Your adoring public can hardly wait for your next book.”

  “Ha! I don’t know about that. Laura’s excited, and since she was technically my first real fan, I’ll just focus on her. The rest is… overwhelming. But in a good way, you know?”

  “I know. But you’re doing great. Your work is so good. Even your agent says each book gets better.”

  Drew ducked his head. Forever modest. “I guess. I’m just glad to have you as my personal resource. It makes things so much easier.”

/>   Josh tugged the spatula from Drew’s hand, flipped the veggie burgers before they were hopelessly blackened.

  “Oops.” Drew turned in Josh’s arms, rested against his chest. “I shouldn’t be allowed near the grill.”

  “Just takes practice.” Josh plated the burgers.

  “Is there anything you’re not good at?” Drew asked.

  “Until I met you, I wasn’t good at relationships. Healthy ones, anyway.”

  “You’re so lucky.”

  Josh could feel Drew’s smile against his chest.

  “I am indeed, bem. I don’t let myself forget it.”

  “So you taking me to the train tomorrow morning?”

  “I wouldn’t miss seeing you off on your first big book signing.”

  Drew sighed. Josh tightened his arms around him.

  “What is it? You nervous about the signing?”

  “A little. And meeting my publisher. And spending time with my agent. But that wasn’t why I sighed.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I was thinking about our ride along.”

  “And?”

  “Things are great. But….”

  “But?” Josh’s heart skipped a beat. Had he moved in too soon? Was Drew having second thoughts?

  “I really miss the siren. You never did let me try it out.”

  Josh started breathing again, then shook his head. “I can download an app. I’ll put it on tomorrow on the way to the station.”

  “Do I get to control it this time?”

  “Whatever you want, bem. Whatever you want.”

  Her initials say it all…

  MEGHAN MASLOW is truly a rare breed. No, not a unicorn (although that would be sooo cool). She’s a—gasp!—extroverted writer.

  She believes that life is meant to be lived. Preferably with lots of people around. Every day is an adventure, or should be. She’s spent a large portion of her life working and living in various countries in Africa. She’s multitalented, having perfected the art of eavesdropping in bars around the world while chugging local brews, and gabbing with anyone who isn’t quick enough to elude her grasp. She believes kindness is contagious, and learning to laugh at yourself is one of life’s greatest gifts (and challenges). She advocates for social justice, believes storytelling can be transformative, and surprisingly isn’t a misanthrope. She loves travel, reading, world music, Moscow Mules, awkward dancing, dreadlocks, her family, and um… writing.