AN: I *think* this is my first attempt at writing Bella with one of the normal human guys. I was slightly inspired by another Bella/Mike one shot that is completely adorable- Those Who Wait by BookwormBaby2580. It's under my favorites.

I am marking this complete as a one shot, but feel free to follow because I may add more little things later if I get inspired. I kind of love this Mike.

I sighed quietly when the bell over the door jingled, then plastered on a smile to greet whoever decided to shop five minutes before closing. Dusting my hands off on my pants leg, I stood and turned, freezing in shock when I saw who was waiting there.

"Hey, Mike. Sorry for coming in so late—I remember how much you hate that." She blushed and fidgeted, looking away from me as she hovered just inside the door.

I took a minute to study her—taking in her oversized hoodie, old sweatpants, and her hair piled up in a messy knot on top of her head. My smile widened when I saw the pencil sticking out of her hair. She'd never looked more beautiful.

I didn't even think when I strode across the store, pulling her into my arms for a hug that I couldn't resist. "Bella! What are you doing here? I thought you moved back east with the Cullens?"

She stiffened in my arms, and I silently cursed myself for bringing up that name. I still hadn't forgotten how she looked the last time they left her.

I was surprised when she didn't pull away from me, but only stepped back a bit so she could look up at my face. This close, I was stunned again by her beauty. She didn't have on a stitch of makeup, but her skin glowed like a model in a magazine.

"Um, no, I...um, well…" she blushed again as she stammered and I grinned down at her, reaching to push a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, you…?" I teased, pulling her close again, nudging her side. Then it was my turn to freeze. Bella's waist was decidedly thicker than the last time I'd seen her, just after graduation. "Bella? Are you…?"

To my horror, she covered her face with her hands and leaned her head against me and started crying. Not just a few tears—full, loud sobs. I could still feel the small, but firm roundness of her stomach pressing against me.

When she didn't slow down, I reached over and flipped the closed sign over, turning the lock on the door. Then I lead her to the back room, and over to the break table. She sat when I directed her, and accepted the napkins I handed her with a grateful, if snotty, smile.

I didn't say anything as she tried to calm herself, just took her free hand in mine, running my thumb across her knuckles. Her skin was so soft, and she smelled so good, just like she always had. Bella never wore strong perfume like the other girls at school, just light scents like strawberry and vanilla.

Once she stopped crying, she slowly pulled her hand out of mine and looked up at me shyly. I could tell she was embarrassed, but I hoped she would open up to me. "Bella, if you need to talk, I'm here. I won't tell anyone—they're all off at school anyway." Well, all except for Jessica, who was shacking up with Bella's big Indian down in La Push.

Eyeing her again, I tried to figure out exactly how pregnant she looked. I knew Bella and Jacob broke up in May, just before graduation, and she went back to Cullen pretty quick after that. I guessed the baby could be either of theirs, but that still didn't explain why she was alone.

Wiping her nose again, she finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Mike. I haven't really been out much lately, and I guess my hormones got away from me. I really only came out here to buy my dad a new fishing pole for his birthday."

I nodded, the salesman in me mentally going through our inventory for the best fit, "I can certainly help you with that, but I don't mind helping with anything else either."

That must have been the right thing to say, because Bella began talking. She told me how she dated Jacob, and how surprised she was when the Cullens came back to Forks over spring break. She said Edward begged her to take him back, but she loved Jake and stayed faithful to him.

She talked about the graduation bonfire, where my then-girlfriend Jessica met her then-boyfriend Jake, and we were both unceremoniously dumped. She added that she found out she was pregnant a week later, but that Jacob wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

Edward was her rebound guy, but after making himself indispensable to her, he said he changed his mind, and that he just couldn't see himself raising another man's baby. The Cullens flitted off into the sunset again, our classmates all headed off to college, and Bella apparently became a hermit living with her father.

As I watched her face, I couldn't stop thinking what complete idiots both Cullen and Black were. They'd both had the most beautiful girl in Forks and they'd both thrown her away. What were they thinking?

"I'm sorry, Mike. I didn't mean to ramble on about my problems. I'm sure it's the last thing you want to hear about. Why don't you tell me what you've been up to? No college plans?"

I shook my head and grinned, not missing the way her eyes followed my movements when I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm taking a few business classes at Peninsula College—I drive over to Port A twice a week. Other than that, I'm working here, still learning the business. Dad wants to open a new store once he thinks I'm ready to handle it myself."

Bella was looking at me as if she'd never seen me before. Her beautiful brown eyes were wide, with a look of awe almost. She asked a few more questions about my classes, and listened to my ideas about the store.

When she blushed and asked to use the bathroom, I took the opportunity to show her my loft apartment above the back room. We sat on my couch talking for hours, and when she fell asleep on my shoulder I took a minute to think.

I was pretty sure I'd fallen in love with Bella Swan the first time I saw her, but she'd never really looked at me that way. The closest I'd gotten was a date with her and that stupid Black, and while I ended up with the stomach flu, he ended up with her.

After speaking with her, I could tell that the girl I knew had changed—grown up a bit with the heartache she'd faced and the hurdles ahead of her. What she didn't know was that I had grown up too. It had only been a few months since we graduated, but my dad hadn't cut me any slack. When I told him I wanted to follow in the family business, he treated me like any other employee, no special treatment.

Without Tyler and the other guys at school around, I also quit trying so hard. I knew I had probably come across as obnoxious to Bella, and I hoped she would give me a chance to show her the real me. She was certainly worth knowing.

An odd buzzing sound caught my attention as Bella shifted against my shoulder. I realized her phone was in the front pocket of her hoodie, and she was showing no signs of waking any time soon.

I shifted my arm around her and slipped the phone out, answering it when I saw it was her dad. I didn't want him to worry about where she was. "Hey, Chief. It's Mike Newton."

"Mike? Where's Bella? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's here with me. She stopped by the store and we got to talking, and she fell asleep on my couch. She looked pretty tired and I didn't want to wake her, but if you'd like I can drive her home."

The phone was silent long enough that I pulled the screen back to see if he was still there. "She… she talked to you?"

I grinned, thinking back to our conversation and how open her face was as she spoke. "Yes, sir. We caught up on everything that's been going on since graduation. I think we're just about the only ones left around here that didn't take off for school."

Charlie sighed and cleared his throat. "Um, if you don't mind, can you let her sleep there? She hasn't been sleeping well lately, and I worry about her. I'm glad she had you to talk to."

"Sure thing, Chief. I'll let her know you called."

Part of me couldn't believe that Chief Swan just left me in charge of his pregnant daughter, but then I thought back to last year when she was wasting away, withdrawing from all of us and pining after Cullen. I wondered if he was worried about her doing the same thing again, especially since she didn't have school every day to pull her out of bed.

Still, she didn't look as depressed as she had been then. She looked healthy, from what I could tell, and her hair was clean, even if she still didn't put any effort into fixing it. That was just Bella though. She was the definition of low maintenance.

Knowing I needed to finish closing the store, I gently laid her back on the couch, slipping a pillow under her head and covering her with a light blanket. I couldn't stop myself from brushing her hair back out of her face again, smiling when she sighed and settled back deeper in sleep.

I was floating on clouds as I tallied the register and locked the gun case, whistling as I turned on the alarm and headed back upstairs. I was surprised to find Bella sitting up when I came through the door, holding her phone against her ear and talking quietly.

"Okay, dad. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you too. Bye."

I tried to make a little noise as I closed the door and dropped my keys on the table. She looked up and her face heated in that trademark blush that was so cute on her. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you, Mike."

I grinned as I sat back down beside her. She shivered when I brushed her hair back that time, and I let my hand linger a little bit, tracing down the side of her face. I tilted my head and leaned closer to her, hoping she wouldn't pull away. "I'm not sorry at all, Arizona. You can fall asleep on me anytime."

The smile she gave me at her old nickname made something soft and girly melt inside me. I may have wanted Bella before, but now there was something that made me need her. I brushed my thumb over her cheek and watched as her little pink tongue peeked out to wet her lips. Her big brown eyes were staring right into mine, and I was holding my breath as she started to lean in.

~JR~

I was beginning to think that Jacob was right—Edward must have kept me dazzled all the time. How else could I have missed seeing what was right in front of me all this time? Mike's eyes were the clearest blue, open and honest, with no supernatural secrets or superhuman abilities. They got darker when he was aroused, not because he was trying not to drink my blood. And his skin was so warm—not hot, not cold, but deliciously warm.

I knew I was dangerously close to sinking back into that depression that had captured me the first time the Cullens left town. It took me all afternoon to work up the energy to drive to the store—and that was only after I felt the baby kicking, reminding me that it wasn't just about me anymore. I couldn't waste away when there was a tiny person depending completely upon me.

When Jacob imprinted, I thought my world was ending. Then I realized I was pregnant. Jessica ordered him to stay away from me and our baby, and I turned to the only people I thought I had left.

Edward took me back, but it was hard for me to go from a very physical relationship with Jacob back to a chaste one with Edward. It didn't help that he wrinkled his nose every time I got close to him—according to Emmett, I began to smell more like Jacob the bigger the baby got.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when my vampire family left without me again. Edward said they were worried about what their presence would mean for the baby, and how hard it would be for a little wolf to grow up around his or or her natural enemies. I wasn't too sad though. I had reconnected with my father more over the last year, and he was really excited about becoming a grandfather. I thought he was hoping to make up for the time he missed with me.

So when I walked into Newton Outfitters and saw Mike—regular, dependable Mike, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. There was no way he was that handsome before. During our senior year he had let his hair grow a bit to copy Edward's hair style, but now he had the sides shorter, giving him a more modern look.

Edward always despised Mike Newton, claiming that his thoughts about me were obscene. Well, I wasn't sure if it was the second-trimester hormones that were plaguing me, but looking at Mike in his tight polo shirt and friendly smile, I was having some pretty obscene thoughts of my own.

When he led me upstairs, I thought he might try to put a move on me, but he just sat and talked with me on the couch until I fell asleep. I woke alone, and realized I had missed a call from my dad earlier, but when he told me he'd spoken with Mike and I should just stay there, I was truly surprised. My dad never liked Edward, and he outright hated Jacob after the imprinting/pregnancy thing, but he clearly thought Mike was okay.

Mike came back upstairs, I guessed after he finished closing the store since he didn't do that earlier. When he looked at me, I could feel the atmosphere shifting. The simplest touch of his hand on my face did things to me that Edward and Jacob never did. He reached the woman in me—the human woman, who needed something more than fairy tales and monsters.

Hoping I wasn't seriously misreading him, I took a deep breath and then leaned forward, pressing my lips against his. For a split second, he didn't move at all, but before I had time to worry, he moaned quietly and pulled me closer. His lips were soft, and the perfect temperature, and they coaxed mine apart quickly.

Kissing Mike was a completely new experience. He held me tightly, but carefully—not because he was afraid of breaking me, but because he wanted to be that close to me. I wanted to be that close to him as well.

I had been both Edward's and Jacob's first kiss. While that was nice and all, it meant that neither of them had any experience kissing. With Edward, he always kept his mouth closed, worried about his teeth and venom. Jacob was an enthusiastic kisser, which sometimes translated as sloppy. He was a dog, after all.

Mike was a good kisser. I wasn't sure how to explain why I knew, based on my own limited experiences, but he was. His tongue caressed mine and pulled me into a dance that was almost as intimate as sex. I was pressed against his body, but it still wasn't close enough.

He let out a surprised gasp when I pulled away long enough to straddle his lap, before I captured his mouth and dove back in. I could feel how much he wanted me through the fabric of our pants, and I began grinding down against him, hoping, needing some relief.

We moved together for several long, wonderful minutes, but then Mike put his hands on my hips and pulled back. "Wait, Bella. Wait a minute."

I couldn't move for a minute, I was so hurt. Of course he didn't want me like that—who would? I was a nineteen year old pregnant loser. I didn't have a job, wasn't going to school, and I lived with my dad. Great dating prospect, right?

"Bella, stop it. I know what you're thinking." He put his hand on my cheek and nudged my face up to look at him. "I want you, believe me, I do. I have dreamed of you from the first day I met you at school. I just want you to be sure you want this… and I'd like to show you to my bed if you do."

His cocky grin made me laugh, and I nodded shyly. He startled me by standing up, pulling my legs around his waist as he began walking toward the back corner where I could see his bed. I blushed again when he placed me down so gently.

"Bella, before we do this, I need you to know this isn't just a one time thing. I can't hook up with you and that be it. I want to be there—for you, and for the baby if you'll have me. I'm not going anywhere."

Looking up at his clear blue eyes, I believed him. I leaned up on my elbows, pressing my lips to his. "Okay."

As if I'd given him an eloquent speech in return, Mike wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him again. For several minutes we didn't go any further, and the only sounds were our bodies moving together, breath gasping and lips coming together.

Then I raised my leg and brushed my thigh over the bulge in his pants and he groaned deeply into my mouth. "Please, Bella. Please!"

Satisfied that I had pulled that strong of a reaction from him, I sat up and reached for the hem of my sweatshirt. This would be the first real test—the shirt I was wearing underneath was tight, and there would be no denying my pregnant belly.

I kept my head down after I pulled off my hoodie, afraid to look up and see his shock, or even disgust. I'd gotten used to those looks from Edward as I slowly grew larger, but Mike surprised me once again.

He ghosted his hand across my stomach—not lingering, but just enough to let me know he acknowledged that it was there. Then his warm hands gently cupped my breasts, caressing them with the perfect mix of tenderness and passion.

For a few moments he didn't move, and I chanced a look at his face only to find him staring at my chest with the goofiest smile on his face. I had no idea what to make of it, so I cupped his jaw and murmured his name, "Mike?"

He still didn't meet my eyes, but his answer made me laugh for the first time in months. "Shh! I'm touching Bella Swan's boobs! Give me a minute to enjoy this!"

We laughed together until the motion of our bodies together reminded us what we were originally doing. Mike leaned in and captured my lips again, while his hands began lifting my shirt to give him unhindered access to my breasts.

I couldn't stop my embarrassingly loud moan as his nimble fingers unhooked my bra, and his gentle hands caressed my aching nipples with just the right amount of pressure. He echoed me as he pressed up against my hips, reminding me that there were still too many clothes between us.

Praying my own hands wouldn't shake, I reached between us and unbuttoned his pants, trying to look confident as I unzipped them. It was a bit disorienting to find his underwear beneath them, but I supposed that was one more ordinary human thing to get used to.

It was Mike's turn to groan as I slipped my hand into his boxers and wrapped it around him. I smiled as I caressed him, secretly pleased that I at least knew what I was doing, even if he was quite different from Jake in so many ways.

I was hurt for a moment when he grabbed my wrist to stop my movements, but his urgent kiss and sheepish grin reassured me. "That feels amazing, but I don't want to come until I'm inside you."

We shifted around, moving together easily, and I found myself in the center of the bed, with my head resting on a pillow that smelled just like Mike. He knelt between my legs, looking up at me over my body as he slowly pulled my sweatpants and panties down.

I flushed with embarrassment as he took in my changing body, but he just grinned and dove in. I choked on my breath as he worked me with his fingers and tongue—it felt amazing. Jake had tried before, but his mouth was so hot that it was more uncomfortable than pleasurable—like being scalded with a hot shower. I hadn't even wanted to try with Edward—I couldn't imagine how the cold would feel.

Mike was the exact perfect temperature—warm, soft, and human. I didn't even know what sounds came out of my mouth as his fingers moved confidently and his tongue caressed me with just the right amount of pressure in just the right place. My orgasm took me to another plane, and I could only stare at Mike in wonder as he sat back with a cocky smile.

Once I regained my breath, I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward me. "Get down here," I growled, channeling my own inner wolf. He paused long enough to slip on a condom—something else I was unfamiliar with, given my current condition—and then he sat against the headboard next to me.

"Come here, sweetheart," he said, patting his legs as he reached to help me up, "I don't want to hurt the baby so you better be on top."

I could feel something shifting as I knelt above him, and his eyes were shining as I lowered myself, bringing us together for the first time. He held my hips, pressing his lips to my shoulder as he panted, "Just give me a minute, I just need a minute."

I ran my hands through his hair, waiting for him to regain his composure, and it didn't take long for his lips to shift down from my shoulder to my breast. I took that as a clue to start moving, and he raised his head to capture my lips as we moved together.

He was attentive even as he chased his own release, moving his hand between us to work my clit like the master he apparently was. As sensitive as I was, it didn't take me long, and I was actually pleased when he followed soon after.

I could feel his face warming where it rested against my chest, and it took him a few minutes to look up at me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I swear I can last longer," he told me, looking more embarrassed than I'd ever seen him. "It's just, this has been my favorite fantasy for almost two years! You're amazing!"

I laughed gently as I leaned in and kissed him softly, trying to remind him of his earlier stipulation that this wouldn't be a one time thing. "It's okay, Mike. We'll just have to keep trying," I told him with a wink.

That seemed to boost his spirit, and he kissed me again before lifting me off his lap so he could get up and dispose of the condom. He turned back and looked at me from his bathroom door. "I just have one very important question to ask you, Bella."

I froze, wondering what on earth would make him look so serious.

"Which side of the bed do you prefer?"

I laughed as I settled back against the pillows. The side didn't matter—I'd found the bed, and the man, that was just right...