"How many of those are you going to eat?" Samuel lifted his leg to maneuvered his body on the lime picnic table their dad always rented for tailgating.

"This is my second one." Harmony's hand, with a tortilla chip grasped between her fingertips, paused over the Frito pie her mama always prepared for the festivities. In actuality, she didn't know how many of the crispy chips topped with savory chili, melted cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and sour cream. "Plus, I was told to taste it."

Samuel humphed casting his sight over the hordes of students and parents of students and alumni congregating at the tent covered booths cooking up tasty, greasy food as the debated how Texas University was going to pull off an upset against Alabama State while others pregamed, getting drunk before the football is even tossed.

"Looks like you're stress eating." His head tilted, with a clever smirk as she sat opposite him at the food covered, subtlety collegiate decorated picnic table. "You did tell them this time, right?"

Harmony remained mute, rising the heavy chip to her mouth. She tossed it end then jabbed her thumb towards the barbecue pit—smoke wafting from the chimney of their dad's prize possession on the border of the tent they sat under protected from the heat of the sun.

"Weren't you told to keep an eye on that?" She spoke around the food, puffing one cheek out like a chipmunk. "Get about it."

Samuel flicked his hand at the pit, "I got that." He dropped his arms on the table rattling the ice in the glass beverage dispenser filled with peach hibiscus tea. "I not trying to have a repeat of last Thanksgiving. Not on game day. Not with Kerry coming."

"Aww." Harmony cooed, clasping her hands together and holding them against her chest with a smile brimming up her face. "You really like her, don't you."

Kerry Henderson. Harmony didn't know much about her other than she was the reason her brother was always in a student this semester and why he asked her how to fold a fitted sheet.

Samuel tried hard to fight the smile from hitching up his lips but he couldn't so instead he dipped his head down and brushed his hand over his black, coily glossed 'fro. "She's a cool girl." He pulled his head back up. "Where's Cai?"

"Busy." She let her sight drift to the platters of food splayed out on the table. Buffalo wings. Coleslaw. Frito pie. Lemon bars. Fruit tray (Her mama's doing of course.) "You know he doesn't like football."

He nodded just as their parents emerged from the crowd. Both of them in jeans but unlike her dad, her mama didn't have on a jersey like Samuel but a Texas University lime green and dark blue shirt with a silver wolf growling under the school's name. Harmony was happy she didn't pair that shirt with her shorts, instead of going for a navy shirt with just the school's name boldly printed on it.

"I told you he didn't pay cash for that," Mr. Monroe's statement greeted them as he walked behind the table and right to the pit.

"Who?" Samuel asked glancing back at his dad.

"Did you turn this over?" He questioned with a knit in his forehead surveying the brisket, ribs, and sausages with a two-prong fork.

Harmony smirked knowing he hadn't and barbecuing wasn't his specialty no matter how much their dad wanted him to be a grillmaster like himself.

"It ain't burned." Samuel tossed over his shoulder with a relief washing over him as his dad lifted the brisket and there was no charring. "I'm a pro." He brushed the invisible dirt off his shoulder then twisted back towards his mama, who was sitting by Harmony. "Can you please refrain from pulling out your phone and showing embarrassing pictures."

Mrs. Monroe shook her head as she fussed with her daughter's curly ponytail. "I won't promise such a thing. You were a cute, chunky little baby."

"Like a pug with a worm belly." Harmony snickered reading the text blaring on her phone.

He narrowed his eyes at her the grinned, "Laurent, hit you back? Is he showing up?"

Harmony felt her mama's hand still on her ponytail and caught the flinch in her dad's jaw as he turned over the meat. "Petty isn't a good look."

Samuel shrugged reaching for a hot wing. "Shouldn't have said I had a worm belly."

"You did. You still got worms" She barked, leaning over trying to swat the spicy drumette out his grasp.

She wouldn't got it too if her mama didn't pull her arm back. "Act like ya'll got good sense." She glared at both of them and they both simmered down like when they were kids still living under the same roof. "So, you invited him. That's, that's a good thing. Right, baby."

Harmony watched her mama peer at her dad. Her parents matched eyes, having a conversation only they could interpret.

"Yeah." Mr. Monroe gave his wife a nod before closing the lid back on the pit. "He's your dad and it's time we start being a family." He joined them at the table, the robust smoky aroma of burning wood, spices and beef swirling around them.

"You're my dad." Harmony affirmed tucking a stray curl behind her ear, "Laurent's my..."

"I found her." A familiar voice called the attention of the Monroe clan and Harmony was mildly happy for she wasn't able to construct a world that could describe how Laurent fit in her life. Not yet.

"Wes, my boy!" Mr. Monroe launched up faster than Harmony could glance over her shoulder and see the guy she hadn't set eyes on since breaking up with. "How's it been." He shook Wes' hand and they both brimmed smiles that brighten up their mocha faces. "Y'all gon' win tonight?"

Wes' smile grew bigger after shaking the older man's hand. "Of course. We got this."

"For sure." Samuel added, taking hold of the girl's hand that stood by Wes, "You should've called me in the parking lot. I would have come to get you." He  glanced to Harmony hugging herself tightly, looking off in the distance disengaging. "Wes, you should get to your family. Don't you think that would be best."

Wes eyed Harmony then Samuel snapped his fingers loudly breaking his concentration. "You right." He gave a short wave to the Monroe's and scurried off.

"That was rude." Mr. Monroe snapped regaining his post my the grill. "I get Harmony broke up with him but ya'll are still teammates."

"Dad. Don't." Samuel insisted then gave Harmony a nod which she returned with a diminutive smile. "You don't know everything that happened."

Mr. Monroe looked up but his wife spoke before him. "What does that mean? Harmony, what happened?"

"Mama, I don't want to talk about. Please." She brushed her hands over her curls and thought of a way to take the attention off her. "We're supposed to be meeting Kerry."

Samuel took the cue and gestured to beauty with curled locs in overall shorts with a lime crop-top underneath. "This is Kerry. My girlfriend."

"You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend," Mrs. Monroe couldn't contain her excitement as he rose from the table and made her way over to her son and the girl that had him enamored. "Did you know about this Harmony."

"Bits and pieces." Harmony felt Wes' eyes upon her but tried to keep peering at her parents getting acquainted with the new face in their proximity.

She listened as her parents drill the young lady with questions learning that she was a junior like Sam. She was an education major with a peanut allergy. She was adopted and had three other siblings all under the age of eighteen.

"Are you going to ask for her zodiac sign next?" Harmony chided hooking her thumbs through the belt loop of her shorts. Samuel gifted her with a thankful smile.

Kerry chuckled, "I'm good. But if you need to know, I'm an Aries." She half shrugged, still clinging to Samuel's hand. "I'm just happy to meet you all. Sam, talks about you guys all the time."

"I bought pie," Cecelia announced holding out a glass dish with golden-brown crust weaved into an intricate tapestry. "Razzleberry."

"I bought her," Laurent joked, with his hand still at the small of his wives back. "I hope it's okay that we came." His hand held his chest as his gaze went to Mr. and Mrs. Monroe. "Harmony invited me."

Harmony held her breath as time literally stood still. Boisterous conversation buzzed around the as music throbbed in the background but the silence was hovering underneath their tent. It had to be ten seconds. She was sure of it. Her heart pounded against her ribcage a beat per sec and it had pounded ten times or maybe her heart was just racing.

Mr. Monroe tipped his chin to Laurent. "I got enough food to feed an army. The more the merrier."

Harmony couldn't fight the smile stretching across her face. She even forgot Wes' arm was still on her shoulder. It didn't matter, not right now. This is what mattered. Her parents and The O'Connor's getting along. Cecelia telling her mama what a 'razzleberry' pie actually was and her dad showing off his prized pit to Laurent. Her dad and dad were getting along.

She toyed with the word in her mind before she muttered it to herself. "This could work."

"It will," Her mom whispered finding joy in her daughter's happiness. "But we need to talk, later."

Her excitement was short-lived. She had a new issue on her hands. 

Why do you think Harmony didn't tell her parents about the incident with Wes over the summer?