Nelly professed his love to Ashanti and praised her as "beautiful" while showing off his fiancée's growing baby bump.

The engaged couple had a sweet and flirty back-and-forth on Instagram Sunday as they gear up to welcome their first child together.

Nelly -- whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. -- posted on his Instagram Stories a photo in which his pregnant fiancée appeared to be sitting on his lap.

Ashanti, 43, looked all glammed up in the image, with her skintight outfit hugging her curves and baby bump.

In the snap, Nelly, 49, can be seen covering his eyes with one hand, sporting a gray hoodie, tan shorts and silver chains around his neck and wrist.

"Of course not[,] beautiful[,] I'm fine..!! Luv U2 [heart emoji] @Ashanti," Nelly captioned the snap.


The "Hot In Herre" hitmaker appeared to be responding to something Ashanti said but did not clarify.

Fans speculated that Nelly's caption may be referring to Ashanti's weight.

"She's asking him if she's too heavy and daring him to say yes. He is STRESSED," one user commented under The Shade Room's post about Nelly's Instagram Story.

Another shared a similar take, writing: "She definitely asked if she's too heavy, that's why he said what he said."

"I know a 'am I too heavy' moment when I see one," a third user added.

Ashanti appeared to confirm the fans' theory when she responded to Nelly's post.

She posted a screenshot of Nelly's post on her own Instagram Stories and wrote: "Lmaoooooo!!!! Babe!!!! [I'm going to] knock [you] out!!!!!!"

She added several laughing, fist and heart emojis to show they were simply joking around.

Nelly then took to his Instagram Stories once more to reply: "What my love...??? I didn't say anything..!! To me, you [are] still the same you were in 2005..!!"


The "Body On Me" collaborators' sweet exchange had fans gushing over their relationship.

"They make sense together," one person commented.

Another opined, "If you two [people] look like they were meant to be together, it's definitely them!"

"Ashanti and Nelly really do [look] genuinely happy wow," one X user wrote.

Nelly and Ashanti first dated from 2003 to 2013.


A decade after their split, they rekindled their romance, with the "Ride With Me" singer confirming in September 2023 that they were officially back together.

The couple sparked rumors in December last year that they were expecting their first child together after they were seen repeatedly touching Ashanti's belly while at Nelly's Black and White Ball in St. Louis, according to Page Six.

Earlier this month, Ashanti confirmed she is engaged to Nelly and pregnant with his baby.

"This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation," she told Essence.

The singer added, "Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience."


Tags
Nelly, Ashanti