John Edwards Not Engaged to Rielle Hunter

Jan. 7, 2011 — -- Despite rumors to the contrary, former presidential hopeful John Edwards is not engaged to Rielle Hunter, sources close to the couple tell ABC News.

"I do not believe it to be true," Hunter's attorney, Alan Duncan, told ABC News when asked about a report in The National Enquirer that Edwards had proposed over a December vacation, just weeks after the death of his estranged wife Elizabeth Edwards.

Another source close to the couple also disputed the alleged engagement, telling ABC News that the couple was not planning to wed.

According to the Enquirer, the same publication that first broke the news of Edwards' extramarital affair with Hunter in 2007, Edwards told Hunter he wanted to "become one big, happy family."

A spokeswoman for the Edwards family declined to comment on the report.

Hunter is the mother of Edwards' 2-year-old daughter, Quinn. Edwards first denied the affair with Hunter before admitting the indiscretion in August 2008. Then, in January 2010 he admitted that he was, in fact, Quinn's father.

Reports of an impending wedding come just days after news that will of Edwards' estranged wife Elizabeth Edwards excluded the former North Carolina senator.

This is not the first time a wedding between Edwards and Hunter has been rumored.

Last year, following the announcement that Edwards is Quinn's biological father, the Enquirer ran a similar story reporting the couple's engagement that was also debunked.

Also last year, Andrew Young, a former aide to Edwards, told ABC News that Hunter talked about plans for a rooftop wedding in New York.

Elizabeth Edwards, who died Dec. 7 after a six-year battle with breast cancer, appointed her eldest daughter Catharine as the executor of her will, which makes no mention of John Edwards.

The will also stipulates that Cate Edwards, 28, will serve as guardian for her two younger siblings -- Emma Claire, 12, and Jack, 10 -- if anything happens to John Edwards.

"All of my furniture, furnishings, household goods, jewelry, china, silverware and personal effects and any automobiles owned by me at the time of my death I give and bequeath to my children who shall be living at the time of my death," the will states.

Read Elizabeth Edwards' full will here.

Elizabeth Edwards' Will Excludes John Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards had long indicated that she had faith Cate would take care of the family after her death. In a 2007 interview, Edwards said she had prepared her children for the possibility of her death and that Cate had already stepped in to take on new responsibilities, both in the home and outside.

The will was signed on Dec. 1, just days before Edwards died in her North Carolina home.

The couple separated last year after 32 years together, although their divorce was never finalized.

Elizabeth Edwards was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. The cancer returned in 2007, and days before her December death it was announced the she had stopped all cancer treatment.

John Edwards and her three children were among those at her side when she died, according to a family friend, who described the environment in the house as warm and peaceful and said the mood was sad, but also full of warm feelings.

Just days before her death, Edwards wrote a moving message on her Facebook wall, stating: "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces: my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined."

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human," wrote Edwards.

"But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."