A/N: Hi everyone! I missed y'all last week-things have been hectic but hopefully getting back on track. I really appreciate everyone's kind words and support.

Daddyward coming right up;)

"Daddy, huh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I couldn't help the amused expression that plagued my face as I waited for him to elaborate.

Edward smiled sheepishly once more. "Yes, Daddy." He shrugged, blowing out a breath. "I have a daughter."

"You have a kid?" I asked, and he nodded slowly. "A daughter," I added, unable to help the smile that crossed my face.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, trepidatiously.

I shook my head from side to side. "No!" I corrected quickly, "Not at all."

"Good," Edward said, simply. He grinned at me, leaning against his bookcase.

"Good." I mirrored his stance as I leaned against the other bookcase.

This was going to be an interesting evening.

XxxX

Edward poured me more wine as I took another bite of my pasta. Always so attentive.

I began to chew, and as the flavors hit my tongue, a giddiness overtook me and I let out a content moan. This man could cook. I really shouldn't have been surprised—he was a man of many talents, one who clearly wore many hats. One of which being a daddy.

I took a slow sip from the stemless wine glass, trying to recount the events from this evening. It had barely started and yet so much had already happened. So much had been revealed.

After Esme dropped the bomb and left the apartment, Edward had confirmed that he was indeed a parent, and he had gone into the kitchen to grab our meal. We settled in around his dining table, eating in relative silence, the only sounds the scraping of cutlery against china, and the occasional appreciative noise escaping our lips. Both of us were blissfully ignoring the elephant in the room.

When I told him that his having a daughter wasn't a problem, I meant it wholeheartedly. Sure, he didn't mention him being a father, and maybe he should have told me sooner, but I certainly had no room to judge or be angry at him for hiding things. Lord knows I had more than my share of skeletons in my closet, and he had been understanding when I asked him not to press—he accepted my requests without any questions asked.

But I couldn't deny that I was curious. Curious about this whole other part of Edward's life. He definitely personified what it meant to be a DILF. The thought brought a smile to my lips. I set down my wine glass and took a deep breath, bracing myself to open this can of worms.

Edward took a sip of his wine, his eyebrow arched as he gave me a moment to compose myself.

"Why didn't you tell me you have a daughter?" I blurted, in true Bella fashion. I really needed to work on my delivery and filter.

Edward practically choked on his wine. His eyes widened comically,

and his coughing morphed into laughter as he tried to clear his throat.

"You can't expect me not to ask anything about her. I mean, that was a pretty big bomb your mom dropped," I reasoned, jumping to justify my question before he could get annoyed at me.

He pursed his lips and set down his glass. Edward reached across the table and took my hand in his, nodding. "I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to bring it up." He smirked, giving me one of his panty-dropping smiles, making me squirm in my chair.

Dammit, now was not the time to be sexually frustrated.

"Honestly … I wanted to get to know you—the real you. Maybe I should've said something, but it never felt like the right time. You have to understand something: I'm all she has, so I'm extremely protective of her, of this life we've created. It's not easy for me to let people in either, you know." Edward sighed and shrugged. "I've been enjoying our time together, and it would've been something that came up eventually—my mother just happened to beat me to it, it seems."

I understood why he didn't share this with me right away, but now that I knew, I couldn't pretend that this wasn't a defining aspect of Edward and his life. And I guess of our future, if we were going to have one together.

"I can understand that, and I'm enjoying getting to know you too. Would you tell me about her? Whatever you feel comfortable sharing," I quickly added, not wanting to pressure him or make this any more awkward than it was.

Edward looked at me for a second before he turned away and smiled to himself and started to talk. "Bree—her full name is Aubrey, but she's Bree all the way—is almost nine years old and the light of my life." He beamed with pride just at the thought of his little girl. "As you already know, I started working at the bar when I was twenty-three. I'd tried the college thing before that, but I decided quickly it wasn't for me." He glanced at me again. "And part of the reason I hated college was that my father's guilt money had paid for it." Edward rolled his eyes and wore a disgusted look.

His whole demeanor changed as he spoke, and it was obvious that there was likely bad blood between him and his dad. Edward blew out a breath and continued, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand, which was still clasped in his, before he let go so he could rake his fingers through his hair.

"Mom's from Rockaway Beach, born and raised. My dad was doing some internship at a law firm when their paths crossed during one of his coffee runs to the shop where she worked. They met and there was an instant connection. Mom will tell you he was the only man she ever loved until I came along." He scrunched his nose and laughed. "Anyways, my father was older and came from money. Old money. Penthouses, country clubs, Ivy League schools, and all the bullshit in between." His eyes widened as he realized what he had muttered. Slowly, Edward met my eyes and took in my amused expression. "No offense," he mumbled, sheepishly.

I shook my head and gestured with my hand for him to continue.

"Once my mom found out she was pregnant, my dad dropped her out of his life without so much as a backward glance. My mom didn't come from a family of means. Her folks were broke and barely making ends meet. She worked two jobs just not to burden them. She struggled so much raising me." Edward closed his eyes and shook his head.

I reached across the table and grabbed his hand and squeezed it once. The small gesture was a reminder to him that I was here for him. He met my eyes and gave me a sweet smile.

"My father came back around when I was two years old. I guess out of some twisted sense of obligation. He handed my mom an envelope and walked away. She told me I was with her and he didn't even look in my direction. Turned out, that envelope contained all the information about a trust fund that I would get access to when I turned eighteen. Not having to worry about how to pay for it, I applied to only one school, NYU. I got accepted, and even though I wasn't sold on college, I gave it a shot. I did one semester and then quit. After that, I worked in my mom's gallery on and off. Mom had always had a passion for art, and she knew she needed to find something longterm to support us so she took a job as a curator while she continued to paint. She's really good at it." Edward pointed to the gallery wall with his free hand. "That painting you love so much was featured in one of my mom's shows. It was a 'mini' series that showcased all young and aspiring artists. Bree painted it."

I turned my head to look at it with fresh eyes. The painting had childlike elements for sure, but I would have never guessed it was painted by an actual child. Edward's child. Bree was one talented little girl. Like Father, like Daughter.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, yanking my hand away to cover my mouth.

Where the hell was my etiquette?

Edward chuckled, as I proceeded to repeat "I'm sorry" over and over again.

"Stop apologizing," he said with a bemused expression.

"I'm sorry," I emphasized and grabbed his hand once more.

He laced our fingers together and rested them on the table between us. "So then I did odd jobs here and there to get some cash. You know, help my mom out in any way I could. When I was twenty-one, a buddy of mine took me to Bar to celebrate. After that, we pretty much became frequent patrons of the joint. I struck up a friendship with both Harry and Vic. Almost two years later, he offered me a job. I started out as a barback and eventually graduated to bartender. As time went on, Harry pushed me to take a business course at NYU, saying I needed to make something of myself. You didn't argue with Harry, so I enrolled and that's where I met Katie, Bree's mom."

I bet she was pretty. Katie was a pretty girl's name.

Focus, Bella!

"Katie was from a small town in Maine. Her family had a maple syrup farm, but she'd always wanted to see the big city so she transferred her senior year of college to NYU. She was new to the city, so it made sense for me to show her around, play tour guide and all that. We'd hang out, and eventually, one thing led to another and we sorta fell into being a couple. It was only a few months later that she found out she was pregnant. We weren't that serious to begin with so it was hard to navigate. But it was never an option to not stand by her—even if it wasn't this big love story between us. It was just companionship for both of us during a crossroads in our lives."

The green haze that had clouded my eyes at the mention of Bree's mother lessened the more he divulged about their relationship. It calmed me to know that at least they hadn't been in love with each other.

Edward took another sip of his wine, and I waited for him to continue, realizing that pushing him for more answers would do no good and he had to tell this at his pace.

"So before Bree was born, we moved into a tiny apartment in my mom's building. I soon saw that Katie wasn't excited to be a mom. I mean, I knew our situation was less than ideal, but I was excited and scared shitless at the same time. But she acted unfazed. My mom would buy gender-neutral clothing for the baby because Katie didn't want to find out the sex—which I know isn't unheard of, but she wouldn't even say thank you or acknowledge that a baby was on its way. I tried to bring it up with her, but she'd just brush me off. I was growing frustrated with the situation but I knew stress wasn't good for her or the baby, so I let things slide, trying not to turn resentful for her lack of enthusiasm. Once Bree was born, things quickly became even more contentious between us. We fought all the time. Not just about money, but over everything—even the tiniest of things. Like who didn't sterilize a bottle, who left a bowl in the sink, just stupid shit. I worked doubles at the bar to cover everything so Katie could stay home with Bree, but I made sure to pull my weight at home as much as I was able. My mom pitched in whenever she could as well. Bree was six months old when Katie left her with my mom for the day while I worked a shift at the bar. By the time I got home that evening, she had her bags packed and sitting by the door. She handed me an envelope, and inside were papers where she'd signed away her paternal rights. She told me this wasn't the life she wanted and that she needed to go back to Maine."

My jaw went slack. I bit my tongue to not say anything too harsh. I was not expecting that. Who does that?

My heart clenched in my chest for the poor little girl. While I didn't know her, I knew damn well that no little girl deserved to be abandoned by their parent.

"I'm so sorry," I muttered, not really knowing what else to say. "That was pretty heartless." I bit my lip, wondering if I'd gone too far, but Edward nodded in agreement.

"Katie now runs her family's farm and is in a long term relationship with her next-door neighbor. She visits for some holidays and special occasions. Before every visit, I ask Bree if she wants to see her mom and she says yes. But when the day comes that Bree says no, I'll have to respect that and so will Katie," Edward vowed.

Edward was a lot more gracious than I could ever be. Allowing her to visit and still get to know Bree in the way she could was a gift. A gift I hoped Katie valued.

"I sympathize. My dad was a drop-in parent as well, especially after my parents' divorce. He left us for his business partner, William." I waited for him to catch on, and once he did, there was an audible gasp that came from his mouth.

"William? Not Willa?" Edward clarified.

"Yep." I nodded once.

"Wow," he said, as he processed it all. "Well good for him living his truth, but he could have still been a father. Being a parent is the best job in the world. Exhausting but it's the best," Edward stated. "Things weren't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn't have changed a thing."

His eyes shone and he had a tranquil expression on his face. You could just see how proud he was of being a father. Bree was a lucky girl.

"What made you purchase the bar? I don't know much about raising a child, but I can imagine it is expensive," I asked. To think that he was essentially a single parent and a business owner at such a young age—it must have been difficult to cover the cost of juggling both roles.

"Children definitely aren't cheap, but we were living comfortably, even after I cut back on my shifts at the bar. I was adamant about not using my trust fund to support Bree, but Harry saw it as foolish—all that money lying around, going untouched. So when I was twenty-eight, he convinced me to invest in Bar. Harry spun it as him wanting to take a step back and enjoy life, spend more time with Vic. He told me that opportunities like this didn't come around very often, so you had to seize them when you could. What I didn't know was that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and if I bought the bar, he'd know that his life's work was 'in good hands,'" Edward murmured as his voice filled with emotion.

I looked across at the man before me. He truly was a man in every sense of the word. Edward's integrity and loyalty to his loved ones shone through. He didn't need fancy things. His heart and good nature was worth its weight in gold.

"I'm glad Harry gave you that chance. You deserved it. You're amazing," I said, earnestly.

I had seen many incredible wonders in my life: through travel, materialistic items, and just beauty. But I had never seen any as beautiful inside and out as Edward Masen.

"Thank you, Bella." He brought our clasped hands to his lips and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles. "You have to understand, it's not like I was purposely trying to keep her a secret from you. I'm not ashamed of her in the slightest. She's my whole world. It's just..." He trailed off when he saw me shift from my spot across from him.

I stood up from my chair and moved to his side of the table. Understanding filled his eyes, and he pushed his chair back, making room for me, and settled me on his lap sideways.

I dragged my hands up over his shoulders before I cupped his cheeks, staring deeply into his eyes. My lips met his and said everything I wanted to say. Everything that I was still afraid to even think about.

I knew he wasn't trying to deceive me by hiding this part of himself. Besides, who was I to judge? I'd gone out of my way, not to lie, but to conceal a huge part of myself and I knew he could tell I wasn't being forthcoming but he never pressed, never judged.

I admired him for sharing so much of his life with me. Even though it scared him.

I only hoped one day I could be so brave…

But that was something to worry about another day. In that moment, it was clear there were three things I was absolutely positive about: First, Edward was a father. Second, that part of him would always come first—it had to because that was what made him such a great dad. Third, I could easily see myself getting lost in him–how he could become another one of my vices. And that scared me more than anything else had before.

A/N: Let me know your thoughts and predictions:)