Getting candid.

Bachelor Nation stars Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell got engaged earlier this month at “The Golden Wedding.”

Brayden popped the question surrounded by their Bachelor Nation family, and Christina said yes!

Now, the couple stopped by the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, where they opened up about meeting for the first time and Brayden meeting Christina’s 7-year-old daughter Blakely.

Brayden shared that he knew Christina was different from the moment that they met.

He told co-hosts Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, “There was so much consideration and so much thoughtfulness and so much care that she had towards me that I hadn’t experienced in a relationship before. We had phone calls and FaceTimed and I knew that I felt a connection, but once I saw her in person, from the first moment I met her, I knew I loved how she made me feel and I knew I loved her. It was amazing. I had never felt that before.”

And Christina shared how big a deal it was for her to jump into this relationship with Brayden and how she knew it was serious to introduce him to her daughter.

She said, “I actually haven’t had a boyfriend, an official boyfriend, since Blakely’s father when I was 17. It’s a big decision to introduce him to Blakely, but even just deciding to be boyfriend and girlfriend, I knew they were going to meet. That is not something I take lightly either. They had already met on FaceTime and she thought he was so handsome and she was 6 at the time, she’s 7 now, but she’s going on 15, 25 sometimes. She really appreciates him and is really emotionally mature.”

Brayden opened up about whether he was nervous to meet Blakely after getting to know Christina.

He said, “The biggest thing I knew was that everything I did would impact somebody very impressionable. I know on the show, people see me as very carefree, but I’ve noticed that I have a lot more care in recognizing what I’m saying and who I’m saying it to since being around her. It’s been a cool reality check for me. Being able to have conversations with her and that she’s able to understand what I’m saying has made me be a lot more intentional about my communication.”

Brayden went on, sharing, “I knew that going into it that it was a big deal to meet her. She’s at an age right now where she’s a sponge and is absorbing everything around her. If I say or do the wrong thing, I could mess up, and I didn’t want to do that. I love her mom and I wanted to make this work. Getting to meet her was surprisingly way easier than I thought it would be like. She’s such a cool kid. She’s so much fun.”

And getting to know Blakely has changed Brayden’s life for the better.

He explained, “It gives you such a new appreciation for everything because you’re seeing it through the eyes of a kid again. I really loved it in a way that I didn’t expect to love it. You can start getting a little bit jaded and take things for granted, and with her I didn’t take it for granted anymore. […] Blakely has been such a big blessing for me and I really appreciate that part of our relationship.”

We love that and can’t get enough of Brayden and Christina’s love!

Check out their full conversation with Joe and Serena on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast below.