Reba McEntire is beaming these days.

The “Consider Me Gone” hitmaker, 70, has lots to smile about. She is on two successful shows, The Voice and the sitcom Happy’s Place. She also is engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Rex Linn, 68. Per People, she said, “We got engaged December the 24th, Christmas Eve at Leiper’s Fork [in Tennessee]. So we got engaged then, we were going to make the announcement when we got back to L.A. in January, and the fires happened. It wasn’t appropriate.”

But eventually everything came together properly and the couple revealed their joyful news. McEntire explained further, “[T]he time never presented itself until the Emmys when it just happened.”

McEntire Was Truly Elated

“I totally was thrilled to death. I asked him, ‘Well, when do you want to do this?’ He said, ‘Let’s have fun with the engagement time.’ So we haven’t set a date or anything. We’re just enjoying each other.”

Per the outlet, she and Linn first crossed paths in 1991, then began their relationship eight years after. Four years ago this month, McEntire reflected, according to People via Today about their beginnings.

“In 2020, when Mama got sick, he called me. We’d gotten to see each other before because we’re both on Young Sheldon. So starting in March of 2020, we just kept talking and visiting and finally got together, see each other in June. And we’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since.”

They See Each Other on the ‘Happy’s Place’ Set

Linn has a role on McEntire’s sitcom, so they have some together time at work. She shared, “On the set we’ll belly up to the bar and have our breakfast. He is so funny. Whatever I have, he’ll have. So if I have my oatmeal, he’ll have oatmeal. And then I always have to have a donut hole because I’ve got a sweet tooth.”

She Loves How Openly Affectionate Linn Is

Per the outlet, McEntire mentioned that “he loves to hug and he tells me he loves me an awful lot. I’ve never been loved by a man like Rex Linn. Rex is a very tender-hearted man, and I just love him with all my heart. He’s a good guy. Real bashful though.”