the rules keep coming

 "I think you're being judgy," Dan said that night when Valentina talked about her car troubles, friends, boyfriend, and the university. She'd let slip how she was feeling lately. He guessed now, maybe it was a cry for help. But all he could think of was how her mother needed to know if she was safe. Yet, that hadn't been a priority to her. 

Dan felt he was on the fence, somehow. Not sure if he wanted to give up the trust that there might be between them. Of course, she was already upset with him that he was with Ivy. His sister, Val had given him the silent treatment.

"She's just a teenager," Ivy said about the matter the next day as if Dan should let it go. After all, Val was fine. Matty's friend was going to pick them up. "She might be more of a drama queen than you'll ever know."

Of course, Dan knew who must have been the real drama queen, and it wasn't Valentina. He was certain Ivy must have been troubling from the get-go. He could see why Val could be indifferent about his relationship with Ivy, but it wasn't something he was going to drop just because Val wanted him to.

He was here for the long haul. Naturally, Ivy hadn't even thought of the complicated math of this relationship. There were Keanu and his dad and step-mom. Now there was baby Hope and her dad Jay. At the moment Ivy was oblivious to what to do about child support.

 Dan had a feeling there wouldn't be any, but he wanted Jay to at least step up and see his only child. It would be wrong to take that away from him.

Of course, there was a little help from Slater in all this. After all, Jay was Slater's roommate and he'd let them know there was a crib in Jay's room. At least, Jay did have weekends free to take care of Hope.

"But..but she's so little," Ivy said about the matter.

"I guess you should have thought about that sooner," Dan didn't mean to be harsh with her, but this was the truth.

"She can't go there every weekend," Ivy was adamant about it. He knew he had to stay out of it. 

"That's where the lawyers come in," he told her she needed to be sensible. "And what about Keanu, when are you going to have weekends with him?"

With her swelled pout and in a stomp, he was certain that he was no one's loved one. But after she got off the phone with her lawyer who talked with Jay's lawyer from the reservation, it was settled. Jay would get Hope on the weekends.

"It was never this complicated with Brian," she shook her head.

Dan kept his mouth shut and knew they all had to be friends for at least the kids' sake.