Page 96 of Misconception (Unrequited 2)

“I don’t like how your dad spoke to you tonight.”

“I didn’t like it either. Thank you for handling him the way you did.”

“I’ve got you, Mic. Whether you like it or not, you’re my wife, and I’m going to protect you.”

In the beginning, hearing Mo call me his wife was like nails on a chalkboard. Now...now it wasn’t so bad. Still scared me beyond reason, but I didn’t cringe away from it.

“You don’t need to protect me from my dad. He’s always been that way.”

“Nah, baby. I get that you love him, but nah. He won’t be hard with you, not when I’m around.”

I laid my hand on his face. So handsome and soft, yet rugged, with an underlying fierceness. That was Mo, so much more than his initial appearance. He was real with me, just how he wanted to be. The real Mo was someone I liked more than I cared to admit.

Snuggling closer, I let my head rest on Mo’s bicep. “Thank you,” I murmured.

He cupped the back of my neck and placed a tender kiss on my forehead. The perfect kind of kiss for this kind of day. “You’re welcome.” He rubbed slow circles around my bump, and just as I drifted off to sleep, he said, “‘Night, Hepzibah.”

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