Page 109 of Nine Months to Love

He looks at me, then at the speedometer, then acknowledges that I’m probably right. His foot eases off the gas.

There’s a small playground ahead. He turns into the empty parking lot and puts the car in park, but doesn’t turn off the engine. His hands are still gripping the steering wheel.

“She had no right,” he says quietly. “No fucking right to talk to you that way.”

“She’s my mother. She thinks that gives her the right to say whatever she wants.”

“It doesn’t.” He turns to look at me. “You know that, right? Nothing she said in there was true.”

“I know.”

“Do you? Because you just sat there and took it.”

“What was I supposed to do? Fight back? Make a scene?” I shake my head. “I learned a long time ago that there’s no winning with her.”

“So you just give up?”

“I pick my battles.”

“This should have been one of them.”

I shake my head. “I’ve heard it all before, Stefan. Fighting back just gives her more ammunition.”

“Not anymore.” His face is still glowing with rage. “I won’t let her talk to you that way. Not in front of me. Not ever.”

Something warm unfurls in my chest. “You called me your wife.”

He blinks. “What?”

“Back there. You told her to ‘watch how she speaks to your wife.’”

His eyes widen. “I didn’t—” He stops. Runs a hand through his hair. “Shit. I didn’t mean?—”

“I know.”

“Olivia—”

“It’s okay. Actually, it was...” I trail off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

Perfect. Wonderful. Everything I didn’t know I wanted to hear.

“You defended me,” I say instead. “No one’s ever done that before. Not like that.”

He looks at me like I’ve said something impossible. “What do you mean?”

“I mean no one’s ever stood up to her for me. Dad doesn’t. My friends don’t. Even I don’t, not really.” I meet his eyes. “But you did.”

“She was out of line.”

“She’s always out of line. But you’re the first person who’s ever called her on it.”

His hand releases the steering wheel, reaches across the console. His fingers find mine.

“You’re brilliant,” he says softly. “You’re dedicated. You’re compassionate. You built something amazing from nothing, and you did it without compromising your values. Your mother is too small-minded to see that, but I’m not.”

My throat tightens. “Stefan?—”

“I meant what I said in there. Every word.”