For those of you who thought Edward was the father of Maci because of the red hair...rest easy. He's not. I would not do that to our girl, Bella.

The response this story has gotten has been absolutely amazing. I am sorry for the late post but I have been sick this week and my days off got changed so from this day forward I will post a new chapter every Thursday or Friday.

I forgot in the last chapter to say that I don't own these characters, SM does. I just like to bend them to my will and try to make them do a little work for me every once in a while.

Without further ado, let's meet Edward.

Chapter 2 (Edward)

Life as a single father

October 2011

"I don't like how the master suite is on a different floor from the other bedrooms." I told Mr. Thompson, the realtor that was showing me homes in the suburbs of Knoxville.

He nodded even though I knew he was getting irritated at me but if I was going to make such a big purchase then it was going to be something that I liked and something that fit my new lifestyle. "Okay. I think I have the perfect house for you and will fit all of your wants and also cover the things you have disliked today. It is a bit above your top price range though. Want to take a peek?" He asked pulling the listing up on his tablet before handing it to me.

I looked through the pictures on the screen and liked what I saw in the pictures. "I'm not sure about all of that carpet but it would probably be a good thing to have until Noah starts walking steady." I said as I continued flipping through the pictures. "Okay, let's go take a look." I told him as I handed the tablet back to him.

"Okay, follow me." He said as he unlocked his car. "It's a little outside of town but only about ten minutes from here." He said over the hood of his car as I headed for mine.

I nodded back at him as I slid into my Volvo. I immediately called my mom. "Hello?" She said breathlessly.

"Everything okay?" I asked concerned.

She just laughed. "We're fine, Edward. Find a house yet?"

"Ugh, I never knew this would be so hard. Remind me why I can't just stay in my apartment?" I asked as I followed the realtor out of the driveway and onto the highway.

"Because you are not alone anymore, Edward. You have Noah and his needs to think about now." She said as I heard a soft cry in the background.

"Thanks, Mom. He still being fussy?"

She laughed. "No. He's just getting mad at me because I stopped singing to him to answer the phone."

I groaned. "You are spoiling him, Mom. Worse than what he already is." I was a single father to what I considered to be the best looking five month old in the state of Tennessee. His mother, my ex, had walked out on us just a few hours after he was born. Tanya and I had been dating or screwing consistently for almost six months when she threw a positive pregnancy test at me while I was working one day. I had been extremely happy about starting a family because honestly I wasn't getting any younger. Needless to say she was the complete opposite. I talked her into keeping the baby and raising it with me. Well, at least I had thought I talked her into it. The parental termination papers that had been left lying in Noah's plastic crib at the hospital told a different story.

Never had I imagined that this would be my life at thirty two years old. I had a job that I absolutely loved and made me a hefty profit throughout the years and a beautiful baby boy but I still lacked somebody to share that life with. It wasn't for lack of trying either but apparently I didn't pick the best women in the world.

"Do you want to come take a look at this house with me? Bring Noah and I will just take him with me from there?" I asked her because I wanted her opinion on the house but I also missed my baby's cuteness.

"Okay, text me the address when you get there and we will head that way." She said as I heard Noah's cries get a little louder. "Gotta run, son."

I smiled as we drove down the road of a mature and nice looking neighborhood. All of the houses looked well maintained with manicured lawns and some even had little fences around them. It was what I had envisioned when I first started looking for a house that Noah could grow up in.

My smile only got bigger as I came to a stop behind Mr. Thompson's car in front of what appeared to be a fenced in backyard. "I like what I see so far." I told him as I climbed from my car.

"Great. Let's take a walk around back before we head inside." He said heading around the corner of the house.

We were exploring all the rooms off the main hallway when my phone rang in my pocket. "That's probably my mom." I explained to Mr. Thompson as I answered the phone. "Hey, Ma. Come on in. We're at the back of the house." I told her as I back down the hall.

"This room is right next to the master bedroom which would be perfect for your little one." He said opening the door the closet to reveal a decent sized closet but Noah's clothes wouldn't even take up a third of the space.

I nodded as I walked to the windows taking in the view. "I love that you can't see any of the neighbors from here." I told as I heard my baby babbling from the hallway. "In here, Ma." I called out to her.

"Oh, Edward. This is perfect." She said as she handed me Noah who was reaching for me. I pulled him into my arms placing kisses on the top of his head as I cuddled him close.

"Hi, my boy. I've missed you today." I told him softly into his ear which caused a huge grin to spread across his face. "You want to live here with me?" I asked him as I turned him around so he could look around.

He babbled away as he slapped at the arm that was wrapped around his waist. "You ready to head into the kitchen and living spaces?" Mr. Thompson asked us. The kitchen, living room, dining room, laundry room, and such weren't as important to me as an office space I could work out of, and the bedrooms. I was an accountant and was planning to do most of my work from home until Noah started school although I had an office space downtown. Since Noah was born I only used my office for meetings and such but my secretary, Rosalie, worked in the office every day. Rosalie was my saint and savior but also my sister-in-law. She ran the office single handedly while I tackled fatherhood single handedly.

After looking at the rest of the house I knew that I had to have it even though it was a bit over the top end of my price range. My price range wasn't indicative to how much money I had in the bank or how much I could afford it was just that I didn't want to spend $450 thousand dollars on a house. Me being tight with my money is how I got to where I am today. Although my mother was an event planner for the richy rich of the South and my father was an orthopedic surgeon I went to college on student loans that I paid off myself through hard work and dedication. "I'll take the house." I told Mr. Thompson as I sat Noah on the granite countertop of the island in the kitchen.

"Don't you want to know how much it is first?"

I shook my head. "I doesn't matter. I want it. It's perfect for me and Noah. What's market value for this house?"

We spent the next hours going over the comps in the area and what market value was for the house before settling on a price that was almost 12 grand below the asking price. Once I signed the formal offer paperwork I grabbed Noah and his stuff before heading back to the apartment that had been home since just a few months after I graduated college nine years ago. My parents allowed me access to my trust fund early to purchase the place because it was such a great price and investment.

"Home sweet home, buddy." I told Noah as I slipped him into his walker so I could get dinner going. I was the master at all things simple and quick. Spaghetti was on the menu for me tonight. I grabbed the radio remote turning it on low while I threw dinner together while Noah scooted himself around on the hardwood floors.

A few hours later I was sitting at my desk working on the quarterly reports for a local company while Noah dozed against my chest with a bottle in his mouth. It never failed that after a bath he was ready for bed but still refused to just be laid down in his crib while still awake. I didn't mind though because it allowed me a little daddy and me time that I relished in because everybody kept telling me that he would outgrow it eventually. I placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head as I perused the line of numbers on the page in front of me. "I love you, Noah Anthony." I whispered to him quietly.

Once I felt Noah's body grow heavy against my chest I laid the summary pages down on my desk to finish going over in the morning. "Come on, buddy, let's get to bed." I told him as I raised us slowly out of my desk chair. I headed down the short hallway that led to the master bedroom where we both slept. My mom and I had had a standoff when I brought Noah home about the use of the spare bedroom. Mom had wanted to go all out for a nursery while I demanded that if I was going to work from home until Noah was older then I needed an office. In the end I had put Noah's crib, changing table, and dresser in the corner of my bedroom while the spare bedroom had been turned into my office. I laid Noah down into his crib pulling his light blanket over him and turning on his mobile to drown out the noises of my getting ready for bed.

I walked into the bathroom to take a shower to wash away the grime of the day. I placed my hands against the tile wall of the shower as I dropped my head allowing the water to run over my head and neck. I groaned at the sight of my hardened erection begging for attention. "Sorry, dude, it's just you and me tonight." I told him as I grabbed the body wash squirting some on the sponge that I used. Once my body lathered I trailed my hand down to my begging erection. "Again." I muttered as I wrapped my hand around myself.

Before Tanya and I had started seeing each other consistently I never lacked the company of willing females. That was another thing that my mother had let me know that she didn't approve of before Noah came along. It had changed drastically since I had found out about Noah. Tanya hadn't allowed me to so much as look at her much less touch her during her pregnancy and I hadn't been with a woman since Noah was born. That meant that it has been over a year since I had felt the closeness of a woman, the kiss of a woman, and the touch of a woman.

"Wow, we need to get laid. Quick." I mumbled to my now flaccid cock as I washed my head before climbing out of the shower.

I donned my pajama bottoms before peeking at Noah over the edge of his crib and smiled at the sight of him. He had already rolled over onto his belly and clutched his blanket in his fist. I pulled the other blanket up over him so that he wouldn't get chilled before running a hand softly over his head before crawling into my bed. I had had a California king before I had to give up floor space for Noah's things in my bedroom. Now I had a simple queen size bed but that was fine because it's not like I was sharing it with anybody.

I stood up from my desk to walk my client out of the office. "Thanks for coming in Mr. Hart. I look forward to doing business with you." I told him as I stuck my hand out for him to shake. He was a new client that owned a small chain of art galleries in the area.

"Absolutely, Edward. It's George, by the way." He said as he shook my hand before leaving.

Rose cleared her throat from behind her desk. "Hey, don't forget we're doing the whole Halloween festival out at the ranch this weekend."

I groaned but nodded. "I know, Em still need help setting up the hay bale maze?" I asked because it never failed that while they owned and operated a horse rescue farm that when it came to the extracurricular physical work I was volunteered to help. Emmett operated the upkeep of the farm that Rose had inherited when her dad passed away a few years ago. The Halloween festival was a tradition that her grandparents had started when her dad was a little kid and was a huge hit with the locals. There would be a huge maze that was made out of hay bales, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving contest, face painting, bouncy houses, spooky trail ride, and a puppet show with hot chocolate at the end of the night.

"Of course, Edward. Have you bought Noah a costume yet?" She asked as she looked at something on the computer screen.

"No, I was gonna go pick something out this week. It's not like he's going to even remember any of the holidays this year or the next few years." I said shaking my head.

She looked at me with shock on her face. "You really don't have it yet?"

I shook my head. "No. What's the big deal?"

"Memories, Edward, memories. Not Noah's but yours and everybody else's. Don't take the memories for granted, Edward. Trust me." She said with a sad smile.

The reason that Rosalie worked for me here at the office instead of working the ranch with Emmett was because she needed a distraction and this provided that. She and Emmett had lost their three year old daughter, Katie, to an inoperable brain tumor just last year. It was still hard for the entire family but especially so for Rosalie because she had to have an emergency hysterectomy after Katie's birth. "Okay, do I have any more appointments for today?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I will stay until five to man the phones but you are free to go. Give that baby some hugs and kisses from his Auntie Rose, will you?"

I nodded. "Absolutely. I will go right now to pick out his costume before going to pick him up from Tori's."

"Okay, see you later. Love you."

"Love you too, Rosie." I told her as I grabbed my briefcase and headed out of the office that I used to spend my entire days and most evenings in but now only set foot into once or twice a week. I headed to the local costume shop to pick out Noah's very first Halloween costume. In the end I had an adorable little frog costume that would keep him warm when it turned cool and would please all the women in my family.

I pulled alongside the bright and colorful building that housed the small daycare that I occasionally sent Noah to when I had meetings at the office and my mom was busy. It allowed him a chance to socialize with adults outside of the family and to also play with other kids because he was the only one in our entire family since Katie's passing. I quickly hopped out of the car heading up the path of different colored stepping stones to the front door so that I could grab my bundle of joy.

"Hey Edward, Noah's still sleeping." Victoria said as she sat on the floor with a group of kids playing with Styrofoam letters.

I nodded. "Great, thanks Tori." I told her as I headed for the crib area. I found my chubby little thing curled up on his side with his blanket held tightly in his clenched fists. I rubbed a hand down his body from the top of his head to the bottom of his sock clad feet. "Noah…" I sang softly as I repeated the rub over and over trying to wake him up gently.

He rolled over onto his back but didn't open his eyes yet. I tickled my fingers against his stomach and that caused him to clench up, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Noah…Daddy's here." I sang softly as I stroked a finger down his chubby little cheek and that finally got him to blink open his bright blue eyes that he got from his mother. "Hi." I told him quietly.

He stuck his bottom lip out while holding his arms up to me indicating he wanted to be picked up and wasn't happy about being disturbed from his nap. "Come here." I told him as I picked him up heading for the rocking chair tucked away in the corner between the cribs and the changing tables.

I cuddled him into my chest as I settled into the rocker with his neck tucked between my shoulder and neck. "Here, Edward." Beth, one of Tori's workers, said handing me one of Noah's bottles that I had prepared this morning before dropping him off.

"Thanks Beth." I told her as I held the bottle up for Noah to see. He grabbed it from me popping it into his mouth greedily. I chuckled at him as I set us into a gentle rocking motion.

Once Noah finished his bottle I changed his butt before loading him into his carrier and heading for the realtor's office to sign the paperwork to formalize the contract on the house. I was hoping to go for a quick two week escrow since I was paying in cash. I just wanted to be able to move into the house as quick as I could so I could get my place on the market and so Noah could have his own space.

"Please cooperate in here, buddy. Daddy's trying to buy us a house to live in for many years to come." I begged Noah as I unbuckled him from his car seat.

Noah did indeed cooperate while I sat in the conference room twiddling my thumbs. Something was up and I didn't know what so it was making me extremely nervous. We were ushered into the conference room by the secretary while Mr. Thompson was on the phone with another client. "Noah somethings wrong, buddy. I can feel it." I whispered to Noah as I sat him on the table in front of me.

Just then Mr. Thompson walked through the door with a somber expression on his face. "Edward, I have some bad news…"

The next several days were spent looking for other houses since the original owners decided to back out of the deal but then it was time to take a break so we could celebrate Halloween. "Time to go let Auntie Rose and Nanna fawn over you for a little bit." I told Noah as I fastened his buckles for the thirty minute drive out to Rose and Emmett's. Noah whined a bit because it was time for his morning nap but I had to get going so I could help Emmett set up the maze. I tossed the suitcase I had packed for us along with Noah's pack and play into the trunk because we would be spending the night with Emmett and Rose because it was tradition for us and it made setting up the maze easier since we could get started at sunup in the morning.

By the time I pulled out of the parking garage Noah was crying in earnest. "Hey, hey, hey, buddy." I called back to him. "It's gonna be okay, we're gonna be there soon and your Nanna will fawn all over you." I told him just trying to get him calmed down enough to get him to give into his slumber that he was fighting. I kept up a running dialogue the entire drive to the farm which was fine by me. Noah was at that age that he didn't care what I was saying as long as he could hear my voice. That was the biggest downfall to being a single parent, I was who he depended on day in and day out so he was firmly attached to me and didn't like to be far from me.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I pulled to a stop at the end of Em and Rose's driveway. "We're here, Noah." I told him which earned me some whiny gurgles in response. "Okay, we're about to go take a nap. Daddy could use one too." I told him as I turned the car off.

Two hours later I was woke up to whispered voices and a distinct clicking sound that I was well familiar with. "If you wake him up with your clicking and whispering I will not lift a single bale of hay." I told them without opening my eyes. Noah was sprawled across my chest as I lay on the bed in the guest bedroom. I was bare chested and he was in nothing but a diaper and socks which was rare because I usually was scared he was going to get chilled so he always had pj's on.

"Sorry, son. I just couldn't pass up the photo opportunity." I heard my mom whisper just before the click of the door being shut again sounded quietly in the room.

I dozed back off in the quiet of the room until Noah started squirming on my chest as he woke up. I rolled my head over to check the time and noticed the baby monitor lit up on the night stand. "Mom." I said simply knowing that she would be there in just a few minutes. I rolled over onto my side laying Noah on the bed beside me. He whimpered a bit with his fists clenching and unclenching before he found the chain around my neck gripping it tightly in his fist. He had done this simple act since he was a newborn and I secretly loved it. I leaned down to place a kiss on the top of his head then his clenched fist to let him know that I was awake too. He blinked sleepy eyes up at me just as the door clicked open. "Guess who's here?" I whispered to Noah as I watched my mom walk around the bed to slide onto it on the other side of Noah.

Noah's head rolled backwards to see what the motion was and I chuckled as I watched his eyes go wide at the sight of my mom. This is when my regrets started sinking in. It was obvious that my boy relished attention from my mom and it made me hate that his mother left him without so much as holding him even once. My mom handed Noah his bottle and I couldn't' stop the shit eating grin on my face as he cuddled back into my bare chest with my necklace still clenched in his fist. "Stop with the worry and regrets, Edward. He's happy and healthy." My mom whispered softly as she stroked Noah's unruly locks before running her fingers through mine.

"How did you know?" I asked her as I propped Noah up a bit so he wouldn't choke on his milk.

She rolled her eyes at me, something she used to pop my ears for when I was a teenager. "You are my son and you had that look in your eyes. You always get it when you see Noah with me or Rose. It's unnecessary. That baby boy loves you more than anything in this world."

I smiled at her before kissing Noah on the head. He had just turned six months old yesterday and was getting way too big way too quickly for my liking. "Hey buddy, you wanna go to Nanna now?" I asked him quietly.

He just looked at me as he continued sucking greedily on the nearly empty bottle. There was nothing wrong with my boy's appetite, that's for sure. He scrunched his eyebrows in irritation as I tried to scoot him away from me and into my mom's arms. My mom stopped me with a hand on my arm. "It's okay, Edward. He just woke up. Why don't you let him finish his bottle then bring him out to me, huh?"

I nodded as I snuggled with my baby while he finished his bottle. "I love you, you know that?" I whispered into his hair.

When he was finished with his bottle he was all laughs, giggles, and babbles on the bed while I pulled on an old pair of jeans and t-shirt. I changed his diaper before scooping him up to take him out to my mom and Rose. "All fresh for Nanna, huh?" I said tickling his side as we walked into the living room.

"There's my little man!" My mom called out as she jumped up off the couch heading towards me. Noah immediately reached for her nearly causing me to drop him.

"He's wide awake, now." I told her with a laugh as I handed him off to her before kissing her cheek.

I kissed Rose on the cheek also as I passed her on my way out of the house to go help the guys set up for the festival that would start tomorrow at noon.

"How many hay bales did you use this year, Em?" I asked him as I hefted a large square bale up on top of the other two.

He groaned as he tossed his own up there beside mine. "Over three thousand between the big and the little bales." He said as he situated the bale so that the wall would be steady.

"Christ, Em! That's nearly double from last year." I told him as we headed back to the trailer where this round of bales were stacked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. But we expect a bigger turn out this year." He said with a huge smile on his face. "The children's hospital where Katie was has booked a private trip out here for Sunday for the kids that are well enough to come."

"That's amazing, Emmett." I told him clapping him on the shoulder as we each lifted another hay bale.

He nodded. "I think Katie would have like having all the people and doctors and nurses that she knew having a blast this weekend. She loved Halloween even though she only got to have three of them."

"She was a spitfire, like her momma, when it came to her costume. I remember that phone call from when she was stuck in the hospital year before last on Halloween demanding that I come trick or treat with her." I said shaking my head at the memory.

"Yes she was. You know Rose and I have been discussing becoming foster parents since we have the space both in the house and out of it." I looked at him with a huge smile on my face because that meant that they were truly healing from the loss of Katie. "Does mom and dad know?" I asked him.

"Does dad know what?" We heard from behind us and both turned guiltily towards the voice even though we had nothing to be guilty about.

Emmett slapped me hard on the shoulder before taking a deep breath. "Emmett!" I heard my mother scream from the direction of the house. He just hung his head as I laughed at his obviously guilty stance. It was obvious now that he hadn't told either of them but was supposed to.

"Shit." He muttered as he headed for the house and the sound of our angry mother's voice.

I watched as my dad walked around the end of the row in my direction. "Hi, son."

I smiled at him. "Hi, Pop. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you and the boy?" He asked as he helped me stack on another stack of bales.

I laughed at that. "We're both good. Want to know the juicy news?" I asked him with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

He nodded quickly.

"They are thinking of becoming foster parents."

I smiled as I watched his eyes go wide as that simple yet loaded sentence sunk in. "That's amazing."