Until then

Dan expected Ivy to hate him before the month was over. Maybe it was the fact he'd lived alone all these years. Maybe he liked being alone after all.

There were goals he'd given himself long ago. His parents were old when they adopted him and he'd always been more of a helping hand than anything else. Of course, he was there for them even to the end.

It had never occurred to him that he might want a family of his own one day. He was an only child who always studied. Sure, there were friends. Although, few and far in-between. But he'd never needed a companion and why try now.

He was only letting Ivy stay out of favor for her brother. Honestly, he'd wished he was as smart as her brother. But he didn't envy him now. Yet apart of Dan felt hollow. Perhaps something was missing, but he wouldn't dare overthink it. He would go on living.

But life seemed to be one favor after another from all that he knew. If it weren't helping out at the Parrish it was seeing to meals for a friend of the family or even grocery shopping for some family he didn't even know but who needed food.

Truly he was one act of kindness after another. No one really cramped his lifestyle until now.

But he couldn't go back on his word. It would just have to do for now. Yet the facts were changing. Ivy was going to have a baby. And this shouldn't be a shock. Yet, he had to include all the immediate factors. Like her boyfriend in prison and Keanu's family just a few floors down.

It was unfamiliar. In fact, it was foreign to him. He didn't know what to say. Sure being around people for a few minutes was one thing, but now to spend dinners and outing was totally different. 

"Just don't overthink it," Ivy told him. "It will be fine."

But she folded his clothes all wrong, and the dishes were never quite clean enough. She didn't even know how to use the dishwasher.

He would try. The fact remained no one could make an omelet as good as he could. His waffles were fluffy and his coffee was better than any coffee shop around.

"You stop overthinking," he told her to leave the cooking and cleaning to him.

"But, but I'll have nothing to do then," Ivy said she wanted to help.

Dan pressed a smile when he could. Obviously, her stay would take a lot to getting used too.