Disclaimer: I am a 19 year old college student. I own nothing.

Summary: So, Bella wants Edward to go on and live his own life without her and Nessie. Edward wants to be in his daughters life. What will happen next? *Mysterious music*

Chapter 3

The park was empty at 9:30 on a Wednesday. The air had a cold biting edge that would have kept most mothers inside. The air felt like it was moments away from raining.

I saw Nessie first, bundled up in a pink fleece sweater, happily digging sand into a bucket. She seemed contented by herself. She didn't need other children to be happy. She probably rarely ever played with kids her own age.

Bella sat on a bench, watching her daughter. I knew Bella would be avoiding the questioning eyes of the town. She would only bring Nessie out when there was the fewest possible people. Bella had braved the cold weather this morning so her daughter could enjoy some time at the empty park.

I sat down next to Bella on the bench. Bella didn't react to my presence. It seemed as though she was expecting me. We watched Nessie in silence.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked. I could hear the resignation in Bella's voice.

"Nope," I replied, finality in my own voice. I had decided the best way to deal with this was to fight fire with fire. If Bella was going to be stubborn then so was I.

"How did you know that we'd be here?"

"I had a hunch." Bella gave me a disbelieving look. "No one comes to the park this early on a Wednesday. Plus, it's cold, everybody is inside."

Bella smiled, "Nessie likes the cold, just like her—" Bella sighed, "—just like you."

Bella didn't want to admit out loud that I was Nessie's father. She would admit that I had fathered Nessie, but calling me Nessie's father was too much. That would have just meant that I had won.

"I never told anyone," she said after some time, "that it was you. Most people suspected early on, but I never said anything. I never even told Charlie. I'm sure he's figured it out, though. She looks too much like you." Bella smiled. "I always hoped that she would look like you. She looks more like you than I could of hoped. Of course, now people always know. And they know that I never told you. You would have come back. You're a good person."

She sighed deeply. "Why don't you just go live your life, Edward?"

I watched Nessie dig for a moment. She was smiling to herself. My little girl. "My life changed the moment I saw her."

Bella shook her head. "I didn't want it to." Her voice sounded sad.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Bella" I turned to look at her. Bella didn't meet my eyes. "I know now. I'm not going anywhere."

Bella's eyes fell to her lap. "I know," she said. "As I said, you're a good person. If you want to get to know her, fine, but I'm not telling her. I'm not ready to admit that yet."

I nodded. "I understand. You don't have to tell her anything. Not yet, at least."

At that moment Nessie got to her feet and toddled over to us. "Momma, look!" she was holding up a leaf with a pretty green and yellow pattern. She handed the leaf to Bella, who smiled. Nessie looked at me with her mother's eyes. "Hi," she said again.

"Hello," I leaned forward to her eye level.

"You've got pretty eyes," she smiled at me.

I laughed, "So do you. But I think yours are prettier because they're just like your mommies." I saw Bella flush out of the corner of my eye.

"Do you want to help me build a sand castle?" Nessie asked excitedly.

"Nessie honey, I don't think that Edward—"

"I'd love to," I cut Bella off.

Nessie smiled at me and held out her hand. It was so small and soft in mine. My precious little girl. She tugged on me and dragged me over to her abandoned bucket and shovel in the sand box.

She plunked herself down in the sand and began to shovel the moist dirt into her bucket. "Momma helps me most of the time," Nessie explained as I sat down, "but she's been thinking a lot. When she thinks she can't play with me." Nessie turned the bucket upside down and pulled it up. A bucket shaped pile of wet sand stood in its place. She turned her bucket back over and began again.

"Nessie is a very pretty name," I began. I honestly had no idea how to speak to children.

"My mommy named me Renesmee, but I don't like it. Grandpa and Uncle Seth always call me Nessie. I like it better." She turned the bucket over again, this time half of the tower of sand slid away. I braced myself for a tantrum, but instead she just giggled and began again.

"That's a very pretty sweater you have on." I seemed to think that everything was pretty today.

Nessie scrunched up her nose at my comment.

"You don't like it?" I asked

"I don't like pink. Grandma Sue gets me the old clothes that the other girls where she lives grew out of. They like pink, I don't."

My daughter was wearing old hand me downs. I knew that Alice and Rose would put a stop to that as soon as Bella allowed.

Nessie and I talked for a while. I learned that she like the color green, fruit, cats, the rain, coming to the park, going to see her grandpa, her Uncle Seth and when Bella read her poetry. She didn't like to eat green foods, naps, lace, and pink.

She asked me about myself and I told her that I wrote music. She asked if she knew anything that I wrote and I told her 'probably not.' She asked me about my family and I told her that I had a sister and a brother. I had some difficulty explaining Rose and Jasper to her. She said that she wanted a sister but Bella said 'no.' This made her sad.

"I don't have anyone to play with!" she whined. "All the girls at the reservation are older than me. Momma says I'm too little to play with them. I don't know anybody here."

"I'll be your friend," I said.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You'll come play with me when Momma is too busy?"

I smiled. "Just tell her to call me, anytime, and I'll be there. I promise."

Nessie invited me back to the house so that I could see her bedroom. The color hadn't changed since Bella was living in it. It was littered with a few toys and some ragged looking stuffed animals, but mostly books. Nessie coaxed me into Bella's old rocking chair and asked me to read 'Frog and Toad are Friends' to her, saying that she liked my voice.

I spent the whole day at Bella's house. I played with Nessie, helped her work on her coloring book and read to her. Nessie and I helped Bella make dinner and afterwards she forced me to watch 'The Little Mermaid.'

At 8 o'clock Nessie's eyes stated to droop and Bella carried her upstairs. I stayed in the kitchen making plans for the next day. Bella came back down the stairs looking tired. She stood at the bottom and looked at me. Even after all those years I still knew her so well. I knew that she was happy, even though her face didn't show it.

Before Bella had a chance to react she was in my arms. This time she completely relaxed into my hug

"Thank you, Edward," she sighed.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," I muttered into her hair. I held Bella out at arms length so that I could look into her eyes. "Bella, I told Nessie that if she ever needed me, or ever wanted to see me, just to have you call me. I want you to do the same. If you ever need me, day or night, just call and I'll be here faster than you can imagine."

"I know," Bella smiled. "I still remember your driving."

I laughed at her teasing and pulled her back into me. "You're not going to be doing this alone anymore," I promised. "I'll always be here."

Edward rides up on a white horse and saves that day!!! Again. I love writing dialog for Nessie, but I don't actually know and three year olds so I don't know if I'm making her too smart. If so, Ooops. She's just really really smart. She is Edward's kid after all.

Thanks for reading. :)