It was all of seven months ago that Levi Johnston’s pathetic shoot for Playgirl came out. He didn’t show the full monty, and instead revealed the depths to which he’d sunk in pursuit of a level of fame he was in no way talented, witty, attractive or intelligent enough to deserve. So he resorted to talking smack about the Palin family, and that earned him some talkshow coverage for a while. Now he’s back with the mother of his child, Bristol Palin, with a semi-shocking US Weekly cover announcing their engagement. How did Bristol forgive the man who tried to make a living out of posing naked and waging a public feud with her mother, you ask? Well, she just forgot all about it and pushed it aside as something Levi did in his long forgotten past less than a year ago.

Yesterday we covered some advance details from Bristol and Levi’s US Weekly interview. I had the chance to read the full piece and the details were correct: Bristol and Levi want to get married soon (the 4-6 week timeline was an added detail from US Weekly’s editor and only given on the Today Show) but they swear they’re not having sex yet and that it won’t be a shotgun wedding. Only in the interview, Bristol’s assurances that she’s not pregnant don’t sound that convincing.

We’ve also heard that mom Sarah Palin did not know about Bristol and Levi’s engagement while they were busy selling their story of rekindled love to US Weekly. Bristol tells the magazine that she really hopes her mom will see it in her heart to attend the wedding. I can understand why Sarah wouldn’t be quick to sign off on Bristol and Levi’s reconciliation. Unlike Bristol, she probably doesn’t consider seven months ago to be a lifetime. Here’s more from the interview, including the detail that Levi pronounced his love for Bristol right after she got a condo in Anchorage, and that they’ve been keeping their relationship secret for three months:

On how they rekindled their relationship
Bristol: Three months ago, we met to talk about a custody arrangement. It was the first time Levi had seen my new condo. [In Anchorage].
Levi: I thought about being with her all the time, but I really thought we were over. So when I went, I had no hope. I think we both just started talking – and then we took Trip for a walk.
Bristol [to Levi]: Remember, I made fun of you.
Levi: For the whole walk, she made fun of my straight-legged jeans and my hair. It was nice. I don’t think we’d laughed in a year and a half.
Bristol: We’d only seen each other two dozen times, just meeting in a parking lot to drop off Tripp. This time, it was just us. When he left that night, we didn’t hug or kiss, but I was thinking how different it was. He texted me: “I miss you. I love you. I want to be with you again.”
Levi: I really did miss her. I do love her.
Bristol: I was in shock. I was like, “I miss you too.” The next day, we started hanging out and, literally, we have hung out every day since.

On whether they’re abstinent before marriage
Bristol: Yeah. It’s something Levi is going to have to understand. We are not having sex and I don’t want to live together until we are married, so he has that hard commute from Wasilla to Anchorage. [45 minutes by car]

Q: So you’re not pregnant?
Bristol: No. I’m sure people will take a picture of me with my stomach out and say we have to rush into marriage because I’m pregnant. That has nothing to do with this.

On how she forgave him
Bristol: Just with all his apologizing. I do think we’ll see a marriage counselor. But at some point, I just have to trust him.
Levi: That part of my life is over. I’m never going to say anything bad about her or her family. And I will never leave her.

On whether she’s seen Levi’s Playgirl shoot
Bristol: No, I don’t want to. That’s Levi’s old life. I don’t want anything to do with that.
Levi: I’m almost out of the limelight, and I don’t want to do anything like that again. I want to get my GED and be an electrician. I love my old life. Now I have my beautiful fiance and son back.

On telling Bristol’s mom, Sarah Palin
Bristol: I love my mom more than anything. I pray she’ll attend our wedding. When she accepts this, it’ll be awesome. Till then, we are on our own.

[From US Magazine, print edition, July 26, 2010]

Overall Bristol sounds incredibly naive. All Levi had to do was send her a sweet text message and show up a few times after not being around to help with the baby for over a year and she completely forgave him. (She confirms in the article that “[Levi] saw Tripp every few months” after their breakup.) He’s also shown his character with multiple interviews trashing her mother, but supposedly he’s a changed man now and it sounds like he’s been promising her the moon. I remember my first love well and I understand how it’s wonderful and all-encompassing, but that’s why you’re supposed to wait to commit your life to someone. Those feelings fade and you’re left with hard work to do together. Levi is in no way mature enough to be a husband at this point, and Bristol’s mom knows this. Bristol is foolish to marry the guy and while I really don’t care for her, I hope she gets a prenup.

Oh and I just want to mention that People Magazine is also touting an “exclusive” interview with Bristol Palin this month. She assures them that she’s responsible, not dumb, and pays her own way. They include the detail that she works as an office manager for a dermatologist (Is it the same one who does her mom’s Botox?) and that Tripp goes to a sitter during the day. She really fudges the truth with People and doesn’t even admit that she’s back with Levi, saying “We’re not totally back together, but I’m not ruling it out.” Maybe if People would have ponied up the cash and offered Bristol and Levi the cover they would have squeezed the full story out of her.