Harmony couldn't refute the fact that Alyssa was right. She had been MIA, with new parents popping out the woodwork and Wes drama she had more than her usual share of issues to deal with. So, she thought a lunch date would be the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. This wasn't any lunch date. No, it will be the first time Laurent and Wes met each other and hopefully form a bond. Laurent would know a little more about her and Wes would feel special, like the most important thing in her world and stop acting like a spoiled two-year-old feening for his binky.

"Be nice." Harmony insisted leading Wes through the rows of tables.

Wes pulled at the tie she picked out for him, "I'm going to be myself."

"Then be the nice form of yourself." She skirted around the bustling waiters zooming around with stacked trays.

Wes stopped walking and whirled her around. "I'm not going to be fake, Har."

"I don't want you to be fake." She smoothed out the creases in his suit coat wishing she ran the iron over it. "We're getting to know each other, Laurent and I." She stopped her busy hands letting her eyes connect to his. "And...I want things to go well."

A warm smile formed on Wes' mocha face as he tucked a stray strand of Harmony's hair behind her ear, "I'm not going to go over there and act like I'm fine with him being a liar and...an absentee father."

Her stomach twisted a little tighter as she placed her hand on top of his, feeling his heat toast her cheek, "I want you to be yourself just don't call him an absentee father."

"Why not!" Wes slipped his hand away from her. "That's what he is!"

"No, he's not!" She nudged him in the shoulder. The white-haired lady sitting at the table next to where they stood looked at them. Harmony gave the woman a smile before turning her attention back to Wes. "It's complicated and I don't need you making it worse."

"Fine!" He threw up his arms. "I won't call him out but just so we're clear, I like Mr. Monroe." He walked off.

"I like my dad, too." She murmured to herself. "But I have two, now." She told him slipping her hand back in his.

A smile shined on Harmony's face and not one of those smiles you put on at a job interview or with the sales clerk at Macy's. No, it was the smile you had when you drove way over the speed limit and the cop rolls right past you or getting an eighty-two on the quiz you totally spaced out on.

Laurent caught the napkin that was on his lap as he stood, "I hope the traffic wasn't too much." He held arms wide.

"It was fine. Not more than I expected." Harmony fell into his embrace with ease like they'd been hugging for years and not just a couple of days. She pulled away from him and latched her hand around Wes' arm. "This is Wesley. My boyfriend." She pulled him to her side.

"Wesley." Laurent brimmed with excitement holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi." Wes dryly said shaking the older man's hand with less vigor.

Weak start. Not good. Harmony thought to herself moving things along by taking her seat. "So, I see you got started without us." She looked at the crumb-speckled saucer.

Laurent pushed the saucer away. "Just bread. Couldn't get breakfast this morning."

"The Hempstead case, right." Harmony opened the menu laying it between her and Wes. "How did it go?"

"Appeal denied." He replied with a shrug. "It happens."

Harmony leaned forward deeply intrigued. Caroline usually kept her out of the courtroom. "So, what's next?"

"We're not talking about work, little one," Laurent informed as he motioned for the waiter. "You should try the T-bone, Wesley."

Wes slowly pulled his head up. "I'll have the rosemary roasted chicken with root vegetables." He told the waiter standing next to Laurent. "She'll have a Caesar salad." He added handing back the leather-bound menu.

"She will?" Laurent blurted with a gaze of discontent placed on his daughter.

"I will." She reached for the menu.

"Yeah," Wes said. "That's what you always order."

"At Chili's!" She chuckled. "I'll get the T-bone." She told the waiter who scribbled on his pad. "The way you described it yesterday...I dreamed about it." She playfully elbowed Wes' arm. "You don't know what you're missing."

Laurent reached for another roll, "I'll have the T-bone, too."

"You ate all the bread." Wes tipped up the empty cloth lined basket.

Laurent nodded breaking the bread in half then handed part of it to Harmony. "We can get some more." He raised his hand to signal another waiter.

"Nah, that's cool." Wes waved for him to put his hand down. "I shouldn't be eating all the carbs, anyway."

"Wes is a football player." Harmony said spreading butter on the golden roll. "He plays with Sam." She patted his thigh under the table. "You should come to one of the games."

"I'm not much of a football guy." Laurent darted his eyes from the stringent boy and his daughter.

"I figured." Wes flexed his shoulders out the suit coat. "Probably a golfer."

"No. Basketball."

"Me too!" Harmony added with a mouth full of bread.

Wes squeezed the hand she had on his thigh, "Har, don't speak with your mouth full."

She grinned swallowing the floured mass. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Laurent said to his daughter while keeping his eyes on Wes. "So...you're a football player."

"Yeah." Wes sharply affirmed.

"What do you plan to do after college?" He twisted his wedding ring around his finger. "You are dating my daughter so I need to know—"

Wes cut in, "Are you about to ask me about my intentions?" He chuckled. "Because I already had that conversation...with her dad...Mr. Monroe."

Harmony peered at Wes. This was what she told him not to do. Well, not exactly but he was a card caring college student. He knew where this line of conversation was going to lead, to Argument Boulevard. A road she didn't want to travel.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you thanks for being Quinn's lawyer." Harmony tried changing the topic but her attempt wasn't working. They were completely ignoring her.

"Well..." Laurent balled his hand resting on the table causing Harmony to take several sips of her ice water. "You're just going to have to do it again.... like Cairo."

Oh, God! He didn't just say that. Harmony closed her eyes crunching down on the chunk of ice in her mouth. Her hand fell from his thigh...by way of Wes pushing it off.

"Cairo?" Wes seethed. "What do you know about Cairo?"

A faint glimmer played in Laurent's eyes; "He and Harmony came to my house for family dinner." Harmony kicked his foot under the table didn't stop him from going on. He gently sat his oxfords on top of her Sperry housed foot. "I thought you knew."

"You had...family dinner...and you took Cairo." His fist balled leering at her

Harmony tightened her hand around the frigid glass. She didn't want to have this conversation in front of Laurent, "You had that fundraiser thing." She hoped that would be enough to quell his agitation. She hovered her eyes around the busy restaurant in search of the waiter with their food. She needed everyone to chew instead of talk.

His eyes burned into her skull, "So, you invited Cairo!"

"Lyssa has her problem and Fiya and Lela had to work." She stammered stroking his arm. "I didn't want to go alone."

Wes roughly pulled his arm away from her, "I'm tired of that bastard."

"Excuse me!"

"You heard me!" He snapped. "I'm tired of his ass, weaseling his way in things that don't concern him and you let him!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Laurent barked as the tips of his ears flared.

"Says the guy that just showed up in her life."

"I told you not to go there." Harmony reminded.

Wes scoffed. "I'm not going to tiptoe around the truth for him!"

Laurent looked down as he cracked his knuckles, "It's time for you to go."

"The best thing you said all day." Wes eagerly pushed back his chair. "Come on, Har. Let's go."

"No!" Laurent rose from his seat. "I said its time for you to go. She's not going anywhere." Laurent fixed his eyes on Harmony. "You're not going anywhere." He pointed his finger at Wes. "You are. If you drove, I'll make sure she gets home." Laurent flexed his bundled neck muscles as he sat back down. "If she did drove, you can call a taxi, call an uber, or walk. I don't care. Just leave, now."

"Harmony." Wes softly uttered. "Is that what you want?"

With all the eyes stuck on her, it was Laurent's gaze that drew her attention. They sent her a message words couldn't convey. Riddled with hope and disappointment, he didn't look away from her. She knew what he wanted. Tried to will her to do but she had to go with Wes, right. The things he said were valid. She probably shouldn't have taken Cairo to Laurent's house. It was a family dinner and your boyfriend was the proper person to take. But to be honest, it was Cairo she knew longer and if she couldn't take her girls or Samuel Cairo was the next option.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "But... I'm going.... to stay." She shifted her eyes up to Wes.

"Fine!" Wes jerked his suit coat out the chair. "Do what you want." He spewed before dashing off.

Laurent flicked butter over his half of roll, "I don't like him."

Harmony was put in a tough spot! Did she make the right choice? Why is she with Wes anyways? What do you think?