Spilling the tea!

Bachelor Nation fans met Brayden Bowers on Season 20 of “The Bachelorette” and he returned to our screens of Season 9 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”

The fan favorite eventually found love off-screen with fellow Bachelor Nation star Christina Mandrell and the two just went public with their relationship.

Now, Brayden is sitting down for an exclusive chat with BachelorNation.com and opening up about how they connected and whether she’s “the one.”

Check out our full conversation below!

Bachelor Nation: Hi Brayden! Thank you so much for chatting with us today. We’re so excited that you and Christina have found love together. Can you walk us through how you two connected and what your relationship has been like?

Brayden Bowers: Thank you, Bach Nation! Okay, so, in the early fall, after I was home from "Paradise," she commented on a couple of my Instagram posts. I didn’t respond right away, but then I saw a cute Instagram Story of her and her daughter Blakely and I responded to her Story. I specifically responded to a Story of her with Blakely because I wanted to subtly let her know that having a daughter isn’t something that scares me away. Her being such a good mom is actually something I’m attracted to. So then we started talking on Instagram and shortly after we exchanged phone numbers. She lives in Nashville and I live in San Diego, so we started by just texting, then our first FaceTime call was over four hours.

From there, we talked like that for a week or two and we realized we had so much in common and liked all the same silly things, like Tenacious D. She was like, “I actually have tickets to see them next week in Nashville,” and asked if I wanted to go see them with her. I ended up buying a ticket to go see her, meet her in person, and go to the show. It was amazing! She had to pick me up incognito at the airport and it was the funniest thing ever. We just instantly clicked. We had been talking for a couple of weeks, but there was no awkwardness at all in person and we just flowed the entire time.

BN: Wow, what a whirlwind! And how exciting that you clicked so instantly. What happened after that trip?

BB: It was an amazing trip. From there we just started doing long distance and FaceTiming daily. We also went back and forth to visit each other in California and Tennessee. I can’t really explain it any other way than from the moment I met Christina, I knew it was different, like I felt like I was already in love with her. It was kind of crazy. My relationship with her was immediately unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I didn’t wanna rush into it too much, though, or scare her. I was trying not to come on too strong and play it a little cool, but then the boat accident happened.

BN: Ah, yes, when you and Aaron Schwartzman had a near death experience after your boat sank off the coast of San Diego. How did that change your relationship with Christina?

BB: Yeah, well, we almost died. When I was out there stranded in the water for over three hours, I was just thinking about the people I loved in my life. I thought about my family and how they knew I loved them, but there was one thing that really stood out and upset me. I had one big regret and it was that I didn’t tell Christina that I loved her. I was trying to follow this timeline and stay on the traditional relationship escalator, but it was just the one thing sticking out in my head that I didn’t get a chance to say. So when we got rescued, the first thing I did was borrow my dad’s phone (mine was at the bottom of the ocean) so I could call Christina.

I told her I just had this life-changing experience and I know it may be early, but I had to tell her that I loved her and had these strong feelings. Without skipping a beat, she was just like “I love you too.” She was the first person I called and I just sat on the phone and we talked for hours. Then by the end I was like, “Oh wait, do you want to be my girlfriend?” Like we weren’t official and it all felt out of order, though we both knew that this was way more than a regular fling. So it was kind of weird to say “I love you” first and then ask her to be my girlfriend, because I know it’s supposed to go the other way around. But honestly, I didn’t care at that point.

The next day, she got a flight out to see me and spent time with my family. My mom immediately loved her. She pulled me aside after meeting her with tears in her eyes and was like “I actually really love this girl, Brayden.” It was a big deal for me because my mom doesn’t cry often and she’s never said that about anyone I’ve dated really.

BN: What a love story! That is so sweet! Do you think Christina is “the one” for you?

BB: Yeah, I do, honestly. They say, “When you know, you know,” and I see this as end game for me and I know she feels that way too. We know that merging two lives takes a lot, so we want to make sure that we’re being responsible, but if fools rush in, then I guess I’m a fool!

BN: Love that! What does the future look like for the two of you then?

BB: I just got my nursing license transferred. I’ve been working on getting it transferred to Tennessee and I’m planning on moving out there in January. I will be moving in with her and Blakely and I can’t wait.

BN: Incredible! What’s your relationship with Blakely been like throughout all of this?

BB: I can’t wait. I’m so excited to move out there. And Blakely is just such a cool kid. Christina has done such an amazing job raising her. I’ve gotten to see how amazing of a parent she is and raising a child isn’t easy, especially as a single mom. Yes, she has a lot of support, but Christina really is an incredible mom and I find that so attractive about her. I love every part of Christina and that includes Blakely.

BN: So sweet. Do you feel like your time on “Paradise” made you more ready for a serious relationship like this?

BB: Definitely. “Paradise” really taught me the difference between what is real and what is superficial. I got to have some relationships on the show that felt very real and had substance and showed me that’s what I’m really ready for. I don’t know if everyone knows this: The show also provides us with therapy during the show and it continues after filming ends too. That counseling was amazing and so helpful for me. It helped me understand my own patterns and figure out what I really wanted in a relationship. Through the therapy, I realized that I have actually been really lonely for a lot of my 20s and not a lot of people talk about that loneliness that comes from dating around and focusing on my career. I was just really ready to have that forever partner. Meeting Christina has given me a new sense of motivation and drive and has made me want to be an even better version of myself. She and Blakely have given me a new “why” and I’m just so happy I get to love them both. It feels amazing.