Nick Viall hopes his future daughter will accept his rose explanation for his Bachelor past.
Not that Viall, expecting a baby girl with fiancée Natalie Joy, is embarrassed by the four-season franchise stint that saw him compete on two rounds of The Bachelorette and spend a summer in Paradise before doling out roses as The Bachelor.
"Everything I have now in my life comes from my time on The Bachelor," he explained in an exclusive interview with E! News, "so for all the ups and downs I experienced, I have a lot of gratitude in terms of where it got me."
But, yes, he acknowledged, "I'm sure she'll learn about my experiences and we'll have some fun with it. I'm sure she'll give me a hard time."
And then, ideally, she'll ask for his help on finding a partner who's there for the right reasons. "I hope so," joked the Don't Text Your Ex Happy Birthday author. "I hope one of her first words is 'boundaries!'"
Of course with weeks until his parenting journey begins, he's got some time to formulate any talks of the birds and bees variety.
"I'm sure we'll have a ton of conversations before that even becomes relevant," said the 43-year-old. "But, listen, I think as a father, my biggest job is obviously give her love and teach her how to make decisions for herself. That is to me what it's all about. I hope to be by her side for a very long time, but I won't always be there."
For now he's looking forward to the best sort of two-on-one dates.
Admitting he has "rose colored glasses when it comes to parenthood" (no pun intended), the Wisconsin native, who grew up the second oldest of 11, is eager to lean into some of his well-practiced skills. "We had diapers in the house most of my childhood," he noted. "I've changed a few diapers in my day. It's been a while, but they say it's like riding a bike."
As for the rest of it, "I've been so anxious to be a father for a really long time and whatever obstacles or stresses that come with parenthood, I'm just seeing it as all part of the experience," Viall continued. "I'm really just excited to meet my daughter, excited to bring her into this world, be a parent and see what she looks like. All those first moments. I obviously want her to be healthy and happy, those are the only nerves."
He and surgical technologist Joy, who got engaged last January, "have got a lot of heavy lifting out of the way," when it comes to baby prep, he said, noting that the bulk of their 2024 wedding has been planned as well.
"There are always going to be stresses with everything," Viall allowed. "But Natalie and I are just so focused on what we do have rather than things that we have to worry about. So we're just focused on gratitude and feeling lucky because we do have so much to be grateful for, truly, with everything we have in our lives."
Plus, he added, they're excited to have their little girl as a plus-one at their vows. "I think that that will be a real special moment to have her be a part of it and in photos," he shared. "It will be a great memory."
And for any days where it all feels too much, he's got a secret weapon. "I think everyone knows what it's like to have cold and flu symptoms and just how crappy that can feel, especially when you have a lot going on as I do," he explained of partnering with Mucinex. "It's hard to stay in bed all day. So Mucinex Kickstart has been a real help to me when I wasn't feeling well."
Because in addition to impending fatherhood and wedding planning, he's juggling his recently launched Envy Media company and the podcast that started it all.
"I am just grateful that The Viall Files, I think, has become a destination for people who have a story to share and want a platform to do that," he said of his recent slate of guests that's included Allison Holker, Josh Peck and basically every reality star you've watched on Bravo or ABC. "And we're just grateful to be able to offer our great guests a chance to do that."
Fellow Bachelor alum Rachel Lindsay, who he briefly courted as the Bachelor, has an open invite to return, though he's certainly not nudging his old friend to rehash the details of her recent split from husband Bryan Abasolo.
"Listen, breakups are very challenging and emotional, I'm sure she's going through it," he explained. "It's not fun for anyone regardless of who initiated the breakup. And I know people like to pry and get the details, but I know how hard it is for people on both sides and I just wish her and Bryan nothing but the best. I'm sure we'll have her back on, but I don't want to be pushy. I'm sure she will share when she's ready."
He and Joy are also sure to divulge their experiences as they navigate the next phase of their journey. "When Natalie's on the show with me, we're just kind of talking about the things we love talking about and having fun," Viall said of working with his future wife, "so that makes it really easy."
It's the same go-with-the-flow approach they're bringing to parenting.
"I think we're just trying to be flexible," he explained. "We have a lot of great family members and friends to help us. And, you know, just expect the unexpected and try to enjoy it is the feedback we get the most. And that's what we're really focused on."
And they're not the only Bachelor alums proving that they are, in fact, here to make (miniature) friends. Can we steal you for a sec to have you check out the newest Bachelor babies?