Despite all the drama, baby Tripp Johnston's estranged parents are making it work after all.
Although Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston broke off their engagement in March 2009, an insider tells UsMagazine.com that relations have thawed considerably between the young parents to son Tripp, nearly 18 months.
"Bristol and Levi are still very close," a source close to Bristol, 19, tells Us. The eldest daughter to former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin claimed in the June issue of Harper's Bazaar that ex Johnston, 20, was "a stranger to me."
But the source reveals, "Now that Mama Palin is out of the picture and Bristol is on her own in Anchorage, they spend more time together than most people think."
Adds the source: "Levi even stays overnight. I even think they are back together."
During a January appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Bristol said that she would not have sex again until she weds, explaining, "I just think it's a goal to have, and I think other young women should have that goal." She later advocated for teen abstinence in a PSA for the Candie's Foundation.
In February, a judge ordered Johnston to pay his ex $18,500 in back child support, although their custody battle has yet to be resolved in court.
That same month, Johnston told Entertainment Tonight he and Palin kept it civil for the sake of their son, which he then saw once a week. "She tells me if something's new, but, you know, it is as far as we get,"
Things have changed since then, the Bristol source says. "Bristol is a great mom and cares for Tripp; [she] and Levi are raising him together."