diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapter.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapter.java
index efe56dc4188f..18943265ce60 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapter.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapter.java
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
  */
 package com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models;
 
+import com.google.api.core.InternalApi;
+import com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell;
+import com.google.bigtable.v2.Column;
+import com.google.bigtable.v2.Family;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.protobuf.ByteString;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -43,6 +47,34 @@ public ByteString getKey(Row row) {
     return row.getKey();
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Helper to convert a proto Row to a model Row.
+   *
+   * <p>For internal use only.
+   */
+  @InternalApi
+  public Row createRowFromProto(com.google.bigtable.v2.Row row) {
+    RowBuilder<Row> builder = createRowBuilder();
+    builder.startRow(row.getKey());
+
+    for (Family family : row.getFamiliesList()) {
+      for (Column column : family.getColumnsList()) {
+        for (Cell cell : column.getCellsList()) {
+          builder.startCell(
+              family.getName(),
+              column.getQualifier(),
+              cell.getTimestampMicros(),
+              cell.getLabelsList(),
+              cell.getValue().size());
+          builder.cellValue(cell.getValue());
+          builder.finishCell();
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    return builder.finishRow();
+  }
+
   /** {@inheritDoc} */
   public class DefaultRowBuilder implements RowBuilder<Row> {
     private ByteString currentKey;
diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/ReadModifyWriteRowCallable.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/ReadModifyWriteRowCallable.java
index f456f0202bfa..09e133678e6a 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/ReadModifyWriteRowCallable.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/ReadModifyWriteRowCallable.java
@@ -20,24 +20,19 @@
 import com.google.api.core.ApiFutures;
 import com.google.api.gax.rpc.ApiCallContext;
 import com.google.api.gax.rpc.UnaryCallable;
-import com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell;
-import com.google.bigtable.v2.Column;
-import com.google.bigtable.v2.Family;
 import com.google.bigtable.v2.ReadModifyWriteRowRequest;
 import com.google.bigtable.v2.ReadModifyWriteRowResponse;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.internal.RequestContext;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models.DefaultRowAdapter;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models.ReadModifyWriteRow;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models.Row;
-import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models.RowAdapter;
-import com.google.cloud.bigtable.data.v2.models.RowAdapter.RowBuilder;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.MoreExecutors;
 
 /** Simple wrapper for ReadModifyWriteRow to wrap the request and response protobufs. */
 class ReadModifyWriteRowCallable extends UnaryCallable<ReadModifyWriteRow, Row> {
   private final UnaryCallable<ReadModifyWriteRowRequest, ReadModifyWriteRowResponse> inner;
   private final RequestContext requestContext;
-  private final RowAdapter<Row> rowAdapter;
+  private final DefaultRowAdapter rowAdapter;
 
   ReadModifyWriteRowCallable(
       UnaryCallable<ReadModifyWriteRowRequest, ReadModifyWriteRowResponse> inner,
@@ -64,25 +59,6 @@ public Row apply(ReadModifyWriteRowResponse readModifyWriteRowResponse) {
   }
 
   private Row convertResponse(ReadModifyWriteRowResponse response) {
-    RowBuilder<Row> rowBuilder = rowAdapter.createRowBuilder();
-    rowBuilder.startRow(response.getRow().getKey());
-
-    for (Family family : response.getRow().getFamiliesList()) {
-      for (Column column : family.getColumnsList()) {
-        for (Cell cell : column.getCellsList()) {
-          rowBuilder.startCell(
-              family.getName(),
-              column.getQualifier(),
-              cell.getTimestampMicros(),
-              cell.getLabelsList(),
-              cell.getValue().size());
-
-          rowBuilder.cellValue(cell.getValue());
-
-          rowBuilder.finishCell();
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    return rowBuilder.finishRow();
+    return rowAdapter.createRowFromProto(response.getRow());
   }
 }
diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapterTest.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapterTest.java
index 5adbfc40c158..21afab9edffc 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapterTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/models/DefaultRowAdapterTest.java
@@ -171,4 +171,69 @@ public void sortFamiliesAreSorted() {
                 RowCell.create("family2", col2, 1000, labels, value2)))
         .inOrder();
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void protoTest() {
+    ByteString key = ByteString.copyFromUtf8("key");
+
+    String family1 = "family1";
+    ByteString col1 = ByteString.copyFromUtf8("col1");
+    ByteString value1 = ByteString.copyFromUtf8("value1");
+
+    String family2 = "family2";
+    ByteString col2 = ByteString.copyFromUtf8("col2");
+    ByteString value2 = ByteString.copyFromUtf8("value2");
+
+    List<String> labels = ImmutableList.of();
+
+    com.google.bigtable.v2.Row proto =
+        com.google.bigtable.v2.Row.newBuilder()
+            .setKey(key)
+            .addFamilies(
+                com.google.bigtable.v2.Family.newBuilder()
+                    .setName(family2)
+                    .addColumns(
+                        com.google.bigtable.v2.Column.newBuilder()
+                            .setQualifier(col1)
+                            .addCells(
+                                com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell.newBuilder()
+                                    .setTimestampMicros(2_000)
+                                    .setValue(value2)))
+                    .addColumns(
+                        com.google.bigtable.v2.Column.newBuilder()
+                            .setQualifier(col2)
+                            .addCells(
+                                com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell.newBuilder()
+                                    .setTimestampMicros(2_000)
+                                    .setValue(value2))))
+            .addFamilies(
+                com.google.bigtable.v2.Family.newBuilder()
+                    .setName(family1)
+                    .addColumns(
+                        com.google.bigtable.v2.Column.newBuilder()
+                            .setQualifier(col1)
+                            .addCells(
+                                com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell.newBuilder()
+                                    .setTimestampMicros(1_000)
+                                    .setValue(value1)))
+                    .addColumns(
+                        com.google.bigtable.v2.Column.newBuilder()
+                            .setQualifier(col2)
+                            .addCells(
+                                com.google.bigtable.v2.Cell.newBuilder()
+                                    .setTimestampMicros(1_000)
+                                    .setValue(value1))))
+            .build();
+
+    Row row = adapter.createRowFromProto(proto);
+    assertThat(row)
+        .isEqualTo(
+            Row.create(
+                key,
+                ImmutableList.of(
+                    RowCell.create(family1, col1, 1_000, labels, value1),
+                    RowCell.create(family1, col2, 1_000, labels, value1),
+                    RowCell.create(family2, col1, 2_000, labels, value2),
+                    RowCell.create(family2, col2, 2_000, labels, value2))));
+  }
 }