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Lainey Wilson unknowingly manifested her glamorous engagement ring when she joked about it with her now-fiancé at the beginning of their relationship.
The reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year recently shared the story behind the gorgeous, blinding ring. She and her boyfriend, former pro football quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges, announced their engagement on February 12. Wilson wrote in her simple caption, “4x4xU forever ❤️”
“Honestly, as a joke, right when we first started dating – because we knew pretty much immediately, we were like, ‘OK, we’re gonna be in each other’s lives.’ It just felt that natural. And as a joke, I had texted him some big rings, being like, ‘this is what I like,’ (and) he was like, ‘oh Lord, I better start saving now,’” Wilson laughed as she shared the story behind the ring. “Well, so, we’ve been together for four years, and what he did is he just went in and designed it and kind of put some of those rings together that I sent him. So, I said yes…he messed up!”
The powerhouse Whirlwind star got engaged at late legend George Jones’ estate in Franklin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. Wilson admitted she “talked myself into thinking he was gonna do it that day,” and eagerly called her sister about the suspected proposal. Still, the singer-songwriter admitted she tried to talk herself out of it, knowing she “sure would be upset” if she convinced herself of the engagement and it didn’t happen. Wilson said she and Hodges had been “wanting to see the George Jones estate for quite some time, and his buddy had it listed for sale.” They decided to see it the weekend after they attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, Wilson’s home state (Hodges has also been to his fiancée’s hometown of Baskin, where Wilson said “everybody approves” of him).
As soon as the couple pulled up to the estate, Wilson knew Hodges had “different plans. …It could not have been more perfect.”
She admitted, though, “we haven’t even started planning. We need to really sit down and make that a priority, but I’m sure it’ll be something that’s very, very simple.”
Wilson recently celebrated the success of two of her No. 1 singles, including “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” from her Grammy-winning Bell Bottom Country record, and “4x4xU” from Whirlwind. The latter is a song Wilson and co-writers Jon Decious and Aaron Raitiere wrote in only 40 minutes. She’d previously said she was writing love songs in between Bell Bottom Country and Whirlwind, particularly after making her red carpet debut with Hodges at the 2023 ACM Awards at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Before that, the couple opted to keep their relationship under wraps.
Even now, Wilson admits it’s still hard to believe she has a romantic side to her (and that it shows in her music).
“That’s a wild thing for me,” she said. “I didn’t know I had that side there for a while. But it’s an exciting side to discover. I found somebody who is my biggest cheerleader, my best friend, somebody who is in my corner no matter what.
“He makes it real easy to write love songs. I can’t believe I’m saying that,” Wilson said. “He’s a good person.”