Summary: Edward Masen is a single father, ex-con, and an ex drug user. He and his child move to Forks for a fresh start. Bella Swan is a straight edge, young woman. When these two people meet, the attraction is inexplicable. AH/M.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer and Summit own the right. I just play around with the characters.

A/N: Blame RL. The beta and I have work schedules to deal with. Anyway, hope you like the chapter.

Big thank you to my beta acrosstheskyinstars for cleaning this up. Can you believe its been a year (almost) since we started this story? We're not done yet, but getting there!

Soulmate

BPOV

"Hope is the dream of a soul awake."

-French Proverb

Vanessa's first day of school was special for all of us. She was excited to meet her teacher and classmates, and Edward was nervous. He was excited for her, but he was also afraid to let go. He had asked me to be there for them on that particular day.

I went to their house bright and early. Vanessa and Edward opened the door. She looked happy, and he looked frazzled.

"Good morning, Bella!" she chirped. She jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug, which I happily returned.

"Good morning, pretty girl," I replied. I set her down on the floor and she quickly retreated into the kitchen, screaming that it was breakfast time.

"Hey," Edward said tiredly. He gave me a peck on the cheek and yawned.

"Not a morning person, are you?" I asked.

"It's not that. I just couldn't sleep last night," he replied.

I smiled, knowing exactly why he couldn't sleep. His daughter was starting school. That had to be a little difficult.

"It'll be fine," I said, trying to be reassuring. I looped my arms through his, and we walked into the kitchen, where we found Vanessa drinking her goat's milk.

Edward sat down with her and began to clean her up.

"She's finished. I have to get her dressed, and then we can go."

"Okay," I said as I sat down on her other side. She squirmed in her chair and began to talk to me about her school. She was so happy to be going to school, finally. She expressed her desire to make friends and be good for her teacher, Ms. Webber.

"Daddy pick me up for lunch and I go home! I'm only there for a half day!"

"You're going to have so much fun! I'm so excited for you, Vanessa!" I exclaimed.

She beamed, and then hopped off her chair. She sprinted out the kitchen toward the stairs.

"Walk! Vanessa, you need to walk!" Edward bellowed after her. He got up, shaking his head at her before jogging after her.

I cleaned up after Vanessa's breakfast mess, and then patiently waited for them in the living room. There, on the couch, lay a bright pink and green Tinkerbelle backpack. Vanessa's name was printed in black sharpie. I smiled as I picked up the backpack. I found it cute that Edward was so prepared for her, not that I expected otherwise.

They came downstairs yelling. Vanessa was excited and he was trying to get her to calm down. "Baby, you need to be quiet. It's very early in the morning to be loud, okay?"

She didn't seem to hear him because she came right up to me and asked for her backpack. I helped her with the straps and gave her a kiss on her head. "You're ready, pretty girl."

"Yay!" she cried.

"Vanessa!" Edward said exasperatedly. He scooped her up in his arms and held her against his chest. "Calm down before you hurt yourself."

"Yes, Daddy," she said cheerfully. She leaned up to give him an Eskimo kiss.

She stopped yelling and bouncing, definitely calmer now than she was before. I just thought she had jitters because of her first day, but for Edward it was more. I could tell he was struggling with letting her go, so to speak.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently.

He looked at me, smiling. "I've been better."

I got up and gave them a hug. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

"Of course, Bella! Today is school!" she said happily.

I chuckled at her response. "Today is an important day for you two. School is so awesome, Vanessa. You'll have such a fun time learning and making friends."

Edward set her down and told her to go to the hallway to put her coat on. While she scampered off, he pulled me into a hug and sighed heavily.

"I don't want her to go. I don't like that she's so happy. It's like she forgot about me." The sadness in his voice was apparent. It was endearing and sweet, but also sad. He thought Vanessa wasn't going to miss him.

"Don't think that!" I chastised. "She's going to have fun and she's never going to forget about you. Edward, she loves you very much. I know that, and you need to remember that."

He pulled back to look at me. His expression was bittersweet. "I know, but it's hard."

"I can't say I completely understand how you feel, but I empathize. She's your daughter, and I can see how much you love and adore her. You'll always be her daddy and she'll never forget you."

He held my hand in his, leading me toward her. He smiled, and said he was happy for her. I knew he was. He only wanted the best for her.

"I miss her already," he said quietly as he opened the front door.

"She's right here," I said. I pointed to her walking in front of us, singing the Dora theme song.

"This is the furthest she's been away from me. Going to work and leaving her with Bree is one thing, but her going to school is a milestone I wasn't really ready for," he explained as he opened the car door, and then helped her into the car seat.

I got in the Volvo and quickly buckled my seatbelt. One glance at her, and I grinned. Her daddy was an incredible man and she was one lucky little girl.

"You ready?" I asked them.

"Yes," they both replied, although her reply was a lot more enthusiastic than his.

"I don't think you can be ready for this, Edward. It's just a natural growing up thing, you know? All you can do is be happy for her and hope she has a good day."

He agreed with me and held my hand the entire drive toward the preschool. When we got there, Vanessa grew silent. I could tell her nerves were kicking in.

Edward and I held her hands as we walked her to Angela's classroom. He too could tell she had gotten nervous. When we were about five feet from Angela, he squatted down to see her eye-to-eye. I watched as he gave her a hug and talked to her quietly. It was such a sweet thing to see him be the better dad by encouraging her and giving her strength. I knew he'd do the right thing for her.

"Have a good day, baby," he said as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you, Daddy," she replied as she hugged him. "Bella?" she said as she turned around to tug at my wrist.

I knelt down and gave her a big smile and hug. "Be a good girl for Ms. Webber. She's my friend and she's so excited to have you in her class, pretty girl!"

"I love you, Bella. Bye!" she replied as she gave me a baby kiss on my cheek.

"I love you too, Vanessa." I waved to her as she and Edward approached Angela. I watched the three of them make introductions. They seemed to hit things off, and before I knew it, Vanessa was taking off her backpack and waving to her daddy.

"Let's get out here," Edward said as he slipped his arm around me.

We ended up going to the diner to have breakfast. It took him a while to get over his melancholy mood, but I didn't mind waiting. He was growing up along with Vanessa, and he was still learning how to parent her.

We spent breakfast time talking about Vanessa and our trip to Chicago. I noticed that the more he talked about Chicago, the more he got excited. He told me he wanted to take me to his old neighborhood and to his schools. I was touched that he wanted to share so much with me.

After our breakfast date, he dropped me off at the bakery before going back home to tidy up Vanessa's morning mess.

"Will you come to Eclipse next Wednesday? It's another open mic night and I have a set, so I was hoping you could make it."

"Of course I'll come. I wouldn't miss it," I said, giving him a kiss goodbye.

His eyes lit up as he thanked me. He was cute, I had to admit.

My day at work went well. It was just a typical day for Alice and me. We spent so much time together, laughing and talking about my trip to Chicago. She was helping me pack and reassuring me that closing up the bakery for ten days would not harm me. I had more than enough savings to cover for those ten days I would be gone. I wasn't worried about me; I was worried about the customers.

"Forget about them, Bella. This is a special trip and I won't have you ruining it by worrying about business," Alice chastised.

"Ten days is a long time," I argued.

"Stop worrying. You have brighter things to think about. This could be your family one day, babe. You need to enjoy them and enjoy the trip."

Alice was right, as usual. She was my optimistic voice of reason. I didn't know what I would do without her.

I agreed with her and she smiled triumphantly, like she had just won a big debate or something.

"You want to come over for dinner?" she asked. "Jasper and I are having pizza. He's busy grading his class' work and I'll be all alone."

"Sure," I said. Pizza and best friend time sounded good to me. I threw in a pound cake and she threw in a movie.

That night, I had a fun and relaxing night with my best friend. Things were looking up and I was so excited for the things to come.

The following week, I found myself at Edward's open mic night. It was a momentous occasion for him because he had agreed with Emmett to sing a full set.

I couldn't even begin to describe the way I felt when I watched him on the stage playing. He looked liked he was made to be there, and it was such an honor to be able to see him there. That was a special part of him – his music meant a lot to him and it made him happy.

I was mesmerized sitting in the back with Alice, Jasper, and Rose. I vaguely remembered they had ordered drinks and were commenting here and there on Edward. To be honest, I was too enthralled with him to really pay attention to anything else. He looked so handsome up there with his eyes closed, his fingers strumming the guitar, and his lips moving as he sang a rendition of Lifehouse's "Everything".

The lyrics captivated me. It had so much meaning, and I could feel this song was for me and Vanessa.

"How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"

I almost cried when he opened his eyes and they zeroed in on me. It felt like he was looking straight into my soul. All the hopes and dreams he had for himself and Vanessa were clearly shown to me. We were on the same page. We wanted this to last, and we'd do anything for each other.

He concluded with murmured thanks, and then proceeded to step off the stage. The crowd applauded and cheered for him as usual. They really liked him and he was just too modest to really revel in it. I actually admired him for that.

Usually, he'd find me after he had calmed down from his performance high. He liked to have a few minutes to himself before he rejoined us.

While he was in the backroom, I went back to focusing my attention on my friends. Rose was talking about having a Valentine's Day night at Eclipse. She and Emmett were thinking about having a couples dance night or something like that. Alice liked the idea, and I just shrugged my shoulders, not really caring either way.

"Hey, beautiful girl," Edward whispered into my ear. He had come up behind me and placed his arms around my neck.

I smiled as he bent to kiss the side of my cheek. "Hi," I said shyly. I didn't like being the center of attention, and I was when Edward greeted me after his sets. Some people, more female than others, would watch intently as he embraced me. It was a little weird, although I knew why they looked.

He chuckled as he sat down next to me. "Sorry," he said, flashing me one of his smirks. He knew how insecure I was, but he didn't let it bother him. He was sweet, though. I didn't always mind having his affections on display for others to see.

"You were great, man," Jasper said as he slid a bottle of water toward him.

"Thank you," he replied as he took the bottle.

Edward leaned into me, his arms grazed my own. I could feel goose bumps and I knew it wasn't due to his earlier affections. This happened all the time, one touch and I was hyper-aware of him. I wanted him to give in to our attraction and chemistry; I wanted him to forget his manners and stop being considerate for a change. It hadn't happened as of late.

"Can we get out of here?" I asked him, trying to be discreet. I was pretty much fed up with his thoughtfulness. I felt I was ready to take our relationship to the next step, and after that last song, I was a goner.

"Are you all right?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine. I just want to go home," I answered, hoping he got my meaning.

"Let's go," he said. We said a hasty goodbye to our friends before we went back to the bar to get his guitar.

We walked outside, and after he put his guitar away, he looked at me and asked what was wrong.

I sighed because I knew I had to take a risk and be honest here. I had to tell him how I felt about our relationship and where I thought it was going. I had to be the assertive one.

"I want to take us a step further." I looked him straight in the eye before I kissed him the way I wanted to. I let my tongue probe between his lips and he complied. He kissed me back with fervor before he finally let up.

"We need to be smart about this, Bella," he began.

"Absolutely," I agreed.

"I'm not going to push you, but okay. I think we're ready for more."

I smiled inwardly. We were on the same page and I was finally getting what my heart and body had been craving. I was getting more of him.

"Thank you," I said.

"Thank me later," he said as he grabbed my hand and helped into the Volvo.

The drive back to Forks was agonizingly slow. I was sitting on the heels of anticipation. Edward and I were attracted to each other; that much I was sure of. There were a lot of deciding factors on the level of our physical intimacy. One of them being my inexperience, and another was his past. He wanted to be smart about our relationship and I appreciated that.

He took me back to my house, where we found ourselves seated on the couch. He expressed that he only wanted us to be careful and he didn't want us to get carried away. He was looking out for us.

"Please, Edward," I begged.

"Fuck," he cursed.

He kissed me tentatively at first, but then he began to really get into it. He kissed me deeply, gently pushing me back into the couch so I was lying down. I wound my arms around his neck, and then moved them to the middle of his back. He kept one hand on my hip, slowly tracing circles on my hipbone, while his other hand was cupping my chin. He was passionate but slow, taking his time.

I moved my hands under his sweater and layers to lightly scratch at his back. He pulled back momentarily to groan before he continued to kiss me. Feeling pretty bold, I lifted up the material of his shirt, revealing his beautiful body. He threw his sweater the floor, and I took the opportunity to run my hands up and down his bare back.

"You, too," he rasped as he pulled his lips away from mine.

I nodded and lifted myself up so he could help me. He yanked my sweater and top off in one firm tug. I was left in only my bra. He looked at me for a minute, completely transfixed.

"Edward."

"You're beautiful, Bella. Every part of you, I know it."

I blushed, embarrassed by his scrutiny. I kissed his lips and he smiled as he pulled me closer. His hands rested behind the clasp of my bra. He fingered it for a moment, and then he unclasped it. Still kissing, he used his hands to push the straps down my arms. With one last kiss, he pulled away and proceeded to rid me of my bra. I was topless, like him; his intense stare was almost too much to handle, but then he smiled as he looked into my eyes.

He reached out and traced the sides of my breasts; his touch was feather-light and gentle. It sent tiny sparks down my spine. I felt like he was touching me everywhere. He was going slowly, it was a pace he seemed to like with me, I noted. His fingertip came closer and closer to my nipple, and once he used his fingers to touch them, I began to bite back my groans.

"It's okay, beautiful girl. You can respond to me," he said quietly. I moaned out loud and was embarrassed by the sounds I was making. I bit my bottom lip and reached for his hands. "Kiss me," I begged.

He kissed my lips once before he pushed me back to lie down. He was above me, looking at my chest and licking his lips.

"I love you," he said.

I couldn't answer because his lips descended on mine. He licked my lips open and gently played with my tongue before he started trailing kisses down my chin to my throat. He moved his lips to the side, to the juncture where my neck and shoulder met. His lips always felt perfect on me. I closed my eyes and arched my neck to give him better access, and he chuckled at my little attempt at more.

He trailed more kiss down my neck until he reached my collarbone. His tongue snaked out and wetly licked at my skin.

"Do you like this, Bella?" His voice was velvety rich and low. It made me gasp and open my eyes.

"Yes," I managed to reply. I placed my hands on his head and ran my fingers through his soft hair, pulling a little.

"I'm going lower," he said as he began to move.

I felt his hand on my jeans and he stopped, gauging my reaction. I lifted my hips, and then felt him unbutton and unzip them. I was nervous, but not necessarily scared. I knew taking off the jeans was risky, but this was what I wanted – the next step.

I was lying down in nothing but my black bikini underwear. I blushed and squirmed under his gaze. I was so nervous that he put his hand on my hip to still me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," I confessed.

"I won't take them off," he promised. "Can I touch you?"

"Yes, just keep them on me, please," I said, feeling embarrassed again.

He placed a kiss on my hip right by my bikini, and then trailed his lips back to mine. "Don't be nervous, Bella."

He moved so he was leaning against the back of the couch, his right arm pulled me against his chest. He kissed me softly, open mouthed kisses. When he felt me relax, he moved his other hand to trace circles on the edge of my panties. His touch was firm and gentle; it made me pant with desire for him.

All I wanted to do was touch him the way he was touching me. Slowly, I snaked my hand to his jeans. I fumbled with his zipper, and he had to help me. When he kicked them off, I tentatively touched him. He was hard, solid, and I briefly wondered how my touch felt to him.

"You don't have to," he said as he pulled away from my lips. He looked down at me and smiled. "This is for you, Bella. Not me."

I shook my head at him. "It's for us," I said as I leaned up and kissed him into silence.

We kissed and kissed for what seemed like hours. It was the most enjoyable make-out session I'd ever experienced. He kept tracing me through my panties and I ended up wrapping my hand around him through his boxer briefs. We didn't let up until both of us had climaxed at least once. I was pretty sure he could make me do it again, but I was tired. Having never done any of that before, it took a lot of my strength. I was wrapped up in his arms, my eyes closed, feeling loved and wanted.

"Thank you," I said as I stifled a yawn.

He kissed my head and hugged me tight. "Thank you," he said emphasizing the last part.

He was a selfless man. He'd given me everything I'd asked of him and so much more. I was grateful for him because without him, I didn't know where I'd be. When I thought about it, I realized I would have been alone and unhappy. Edward had changed me for the better.

A/N: The Chicago trip is next (I think.) Let's all hope for the best in that part!

Till next time

Tina