Harmony's eyes blinked open observing darkness hovering around her. She dug her head into the cotton ball-like pillow; soft and rose scented. Her bare feet cleaved to the warmth of the fleece blanket never wanting to touch the floor again. Her side molded to the firm mattress as if it was made just for her. She moaned with contentment.

"You're awake." A voice sliced through the silence.

Harmony opened her eyes wider taking in the navy blue walls and white furniture. She had to be one place, home; but how did she get there. "Dad." She spoke with clarity.

Silence swept through the room again so she sat up seeing the man sitting on the polka dotted loveseat. "Laurent." She corrected.

"I figured that wasn't for me." His melodic voice sounded.

"Why am I home?" She let the blanket fall off her shoulder. "And why are you in my room?"

"You're not in Houston and this is—" He tapped his lips. "But you are home...my home." 

Harmony threw the blanket off seeing the same feather printed dress she slipped into after Ariel invited her to dinner. "Fuck! I'm still here." She kicked her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be cussing." She shook her head to herself.

He waved it off, "You're an adult. You can do as you please."

"If I'm still in your home," She looked over the room the blue and white rug, the record player sitting in the corner, and the Malcolm X quote on the wall. "Why does this look like my room?"

"Because it is." Laurent's finger fell away from his mouth. "This is your room. Always has been."

Harmony blinked wildly, "I-I have a room...in your house."

"Your house." He corrected.

Harmony punched the bed with her fist, "Can you stop saying that?"

"What?" He jolted from the loveseat. "That this is your house?"

"Yes." She slid off the bed to look for her shoes. She wanted to ask him how did she get up there in the first place; who placed her in that bed and covered her up. It was probably Cairo and where was he. "This isn't my house." She spotted Safiya's black pumps that she borrowed by the window and darted for them. "I've never been here." She slipped a shoe on using a little force since her feet were half a size bigger than her friend.

"Yes, you have." He affirmed watching her struggle with the shoe.

She stopped fiddling with the shoe, "Excuse me."

Laurent's arms fanned out, "You have been here."

"When?" Harmony inquired standing lopsided.

"A crib use to be where this bed is." He gripped the solid wood tailboard. "I feed you, read you a story and rocked you to sleep while you hugged your bear." His eyes studied the argyle comforter hanging neatly over the bed.

Harmony shoved her foot in the shoe. "Ralphie?" She muttered.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I think that's what you called him but you were two so..."

"I was here when I was two?" Her heels clicked as she moved toward him.

"I was back." Laurent's head was still down as he held onto the tailboard like his life depended on it. "Married and your mom brought you here so I could see you...in person." He looked over at her, glowing in the moonlight.

"I thought you didn't see me before the ballet recital." She narrowed her eyes at him remembering what he told her in his office.

He sniffed. "Your Dad didn't know so—"

"It was a secret."

"Yes."

"Like me."

He bit his lip before saying, "Yes."

"I see." Harmony cocked her head up peering at him.

"No, you don't." He stepped back folding his arms. "It was war that day. I don't know how you were still asleep with all the yelling downstairs."

"You and Mom got in a fight." Her hands moved to her waist holding firmly to her body as her feet inched closer to him.

"She was taking you back and I was supposed to be okay with one day. One day of smelling you, holding you and then maybe being able to see you whenever she could sneak away. I blew up! I'm mean...who the fuck are you to tell me when I can see my daughter." He took a deep breath to push back the anger that bubbled to the surface. "So yeah, we fought...until Cece shouted she was pregnant."

Harmony smiled. There is was, "And thus the replacement was born."

"The addition! Not the replacement!" He held his chest. "I loved you since the day your mom told me she was pregnant. Now, she and I weren't in love like Cece and I or your Mom and your Dad but for one moment we loved each other enough to create you...the greatest gift I ever gave away." He released a sorrow riddled sigh. "And I did pick you first. Every choice I made since I got back was for you. I bought a house because my daughter needed consistency. I looked for a wife because you needed stability and I signed with the firm because you needed security. I love you, Harmony. I wish it was O'Connor but it's not and that doesn't make Ariel better than you or take away my love for you. I need you to know that. I need you to understand that."

Harmony's mouth open but words didn't flow from it. She didn't know what to say so she moved, forged to him with urgency and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Laurent's arms immediately circled around her body, "You're my child and I'm never letting you go again."

She relaxed in his embrace letting the first thing that came to her mind exit her mouth, "I forgive you."

Those words made him hold her a little tighter.