The Bachelorette viewers might've been expecting a proposal all along, however, Emily Maynard and new fiance Jef Holm insist their engagement was a surprise to both of them.

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"It was a big decision and I hadn't told anyone that I was going to propose to her, including her, and so it came as a shock to her totally," Holm said during a Monday morning appearance on Good Morning America following The Bachelorette's Sunday night finale broadcast in which he popped the question and Maynard accepted.

Although Maynard said yes to an engagement, she hesitated before giving Holm an answer. Her long pause apparently felt like "forever" in Holm's mind, but the couple told GMA anchor Laura Spencer that Maynard's reaction wasn't one of uncertainty.

"It was kind of a surprise because we've never really talked about an engagement even though I should've known," Maynard explained. "But really, I just wanted to soak in the moment and really make a decision from my heart and just take in the moment and remember it."

Although the pair have been engaged since The Bachelorette's finale was filmed on May 12, Maynard said she had been keeping the news a secret from her seven-year-old daughter Ricki.

"Right now, she knows that Jef is a huge part of my life and her life soon, and I didn't want to burden her with too much because it was still a secret and God knows she's the worst secret-keeper ever. So, now that we can be out in public, she's going to know," Maynard noted.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.