The Bachelorette alum, Riley Christian, met The Bachelor alum Maurissa Gunn on Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, last summer. While they made history as the first Black couple to get engaged within The Bachelor franchise, their happily ever after didn’t end up happening.
Since Riley and Maurissa officially and publicly split last month, Riley no longer has a Valentine to celebrate with this Valentine’s Day. Although it’s been a rough go the past couple of months, Riley has been trying to make the best out of a hard situation.
Who is Riley Christian going to celebrate Valentine’s Day with?
Enter Riley’s mom who stepped in. Riley and his mom both dressed in red shirts for this day of love to celebrate the unconditional love that Valentine’s Day can remind us of between not only partners but mothers and their sons.
Riley took to his Instagram page to document these photos that he took with his mom and captioned it, “Home…it’s wherever the love is (red heart). Happy Valentine’s Day from me and ma dukes.”
It looked like Riley and his mom had a good time together, as they posted both silly photos and serious ones. In the first photo, Riley’s mom is pointing at him while Riley points at the camera, and in the second picture, they are both making funny faces.
In both the third and fourth photos, mother and son smile for the camera to show their true bond. Riley has his arm on his mama’s knee, and she has her hand on Riley’s shoulder. They create a heart with their hands and fingers in the last photo to show the love they have for each other, not only on just this day but every day.
Riley and Maurissa Gunn’s relationship timeline
Riley, a past contestant on The Bachelorette Season 16, made it all the way to week 9 before being eliminated.
After meeting Maurissa on Bachelor in Paradise, dating during the show, and proposing at the season’s end, Riley thought he had his forever Valentine.
However, after a month or so of rumors that the couple was having trouble, the two publicly stated that their relationship was officially over. It was reported that Maurissa called off the engagement and ended the relationship.
Riley had made comments that made people question the relationship…things like, “Trying not to be stagnant when facing obstacles that are beyond your control…Just do what you can. That way, when things finally do fall into place, you’ll be able to hit the ground running,” “getting back up no matter how many times we get knocked down,” and “maintaining positive vibes in 2022.”
Riley and Maurissa’s joint statement revealed that they were going their separate ways and that the relationship ending isn’t what they had seen coming, but they both decided it was best.
Newly single, Riley is proving that Valentine’s Day can be celebrated with any loved one…it doesn’t have to be a girlfriend/boyfriend or husband/wife. Valentine’s Day is about love, support, spreading kindness, and making people feel special and Riley and his mother appeared to do just that.
The Bachelor airs Mondays 8/7c on ABC.