The Bachelorette alum Michael Allio is apparently ready to be a husband again.
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"Our journey has always felt as though something greater was guiding us to one another," the couple told People.
"The engagement was never our destination -- it was the beginning of the life we've both been dreaming about."
Michael said he spent over a month secretly planning the marriage proposal with his 9-year-old son James' help.
Michael created a custom illustrated children's book to tell their love story, and he showed her the book once they arrived at the park in Akron for a picnic with James.
Once Michael reached the final page of the book, it read, "Jade Marie, will you marry me?"
The couple recalled how James handed his dad the custom engagement ring to give to Jade, and the words "To the stars" -- which is a quote from the movie Titanic -- were engraved on the inside.
Jade first saw Michael on TV in 2021 when he was speaking about the loss of his late wife, Laura Ritter-Allio, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and passed away in 2019.
Michael also competed on Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette that same year.
After hearing and connecting with Michael's story, Jade, a beauty influencer with one million followers on Instagram, reached out to him.
The pair remained friends, and then Michael publicly teased he was in a new relationship in December 2024 by posting a video of a mystery brunette woman helping him and James decorate a Christmas tree.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWMichael then took to Instagram in early January 2025 to introduce his girlfriend, Jade, to the world by posting a video of their memories from the prior year.
Michael captioned his January 2025 relationship hard launch, in part, "We met in 2021 and became instant friends. For years, that's exactly how we stayed -- always there for each other at any hour, sharing laughs when life got tough, and offering support when it was needed most."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
In May 2025, Michael revealed that Jade -- who also founded a skincare line, Jade Complexions -- had moved to Akron to live with him and James.
Now that they're engaged, the couple told People, "The greatest gift is knowing we get to spend the rest of our lives waking up beside our best friend, raising James together, and writing the next chapters of our story as a family."
Michael -- who also appeared on Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2022 -- gushed about how he feels like "the luckiest man in the world" to have found Jade.
"She makes me laugh every single day, shows up for both James and me in ways I never thought possible, and loves with her whole heart," Michael said.
"I'm going to cherish that heart for the rest of my life."
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"Looking back, that's exactly what we did. There is no one else I would choose to walk through this life with than Michael," Jade shared.
"One of the greatest blessings is that I didn't just gain one love story, but two... with James."
Michael teased he was close to proposing marriage to Jade in June on "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast."
"It looks promising," Ben Higgins quipped of Michael's relationship at the time.
Michael quipped in reply, "Yes, it's very promising, to say the least."
Michael added, "I don't think we would've made it this far if it wasn't endgame, and so, if it was up to me, it probably would've happened already."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
But Michael explained how "blending families" and "making sure everybody is good" takes time and patience.
"Being gentle with that kind of integration has always been top of my mind, but we are at a place where life is exactly where it needs to be," Michael said.
"And I think there will be some exciting news around the bend."
After competing on The Bachelorette's 17th season and claiming to have turned down a starring role on The Bachelor, Michael sparked up a romance with Danielle Maltby on Bachelor in Paradise's eighth season.
Danielle was smitten with the Ohio business owner, and they left the season dating and in a relationship prior to Fantasy Suite Week.
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Danielle moved from Nashville, TN -- where she had lived for 12 years -- to Cleveland, OH, to be with Michael and his son in February 2023, but Michael announced their split in September of that year, claiming he and Danielle weren't compatible.
Danielle revealed on her "The WoMed" podcast that Michael "blindsided" and brutally dumped her one day after she froze her eggs. She said the breakup left her "hurt" and "confused" as well as overcome with grief.
"I moved up here for someone who I thought wanted to be with me forever," Danielle told Cleveland Magazine in 2023. "I genuinely believed we'd get engaged and married."
She added, "It's become such a thing in The Bachelor world to make a joint statement [when you split up], but there was nothing joint about this. I didn't decide it."
Danielle confessed that she "was in the trenches for a few months" after Michael broke up with her.
In response to Danielle's allegation Michael brutally dumped her, Michael confirmed on Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast in September 2023 that he didn't warn Danielle ahead of time about how he was feeling and so she never saw the split coming.
However, Michael claimed that he was not quick to throw in the towel, as the pair had attended couples' therapy in attempt to salvage their relationship.
Michael also claimed that Danielle had "wanted to leave her job" in Nashville and presented it like she wanted to move to Ohio for reasons other than their post-Bachelor in Paradise romance.
Michael also claimed via Instagram Stories at the time that before Danielle moved to Ohio, he told her that he couldn't imagine himself having another child.
Michael said he warned Danielle that he might never want kids and she handled the news "gracefully" and proceeded to freeze her eggs just in case he changed his mind down the road.
Prior to Michael's breakup announcement, split rumors had plagued the couple for months, and they both dodged talking about their relationship in the media.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
