Jennifer Lopez Wants to “Grow Old” with Ben Affleck

If you don’t believe in second chances, let Jennifer Lopez tell you a little story. In a matter of minutes, the singer will have you convinced you should maybe call your ex labeled in your phone as, “The One Who Got Away.” Almost two decades after originally getting together and subsequently breaking things off, Lopez seems pretty convinced that she and Ben Affleck are meant to be.

“I would say we learned our lesson the first time,” Lopez told the New York Times, referring to the media circus that followed Bennifer around in the early aughts and partially led to their breakup. Lopez admitted to People that their past together did cause both her and Affleck to have “a little bit of fear” this time around, which is why they are being more careful. Affleck recently told WSJ. Magazine that he is practicing restraint when it comes to speaking about his relationship with Lopez to the press, and it seems like she is on the same wavelength.

“We're so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us,” Lopez told People, though she did speak about her appreciation for getting a second chance with Affleck. “When you find somebody and you really, really love them and you get a second chance at that? That is a really rare, precious, beautiful thing and we don't take it for granted,” she said.

Of course, so much has changed in both Lopez and Affleck’s life since they were together 19 years ago. They both were married and had kids, and to Lopez, all of that has played into why their relationship is working now.

“I'm so proud of the him, I'm so proud of the man he's become that I've watched from afar,” she said of Affleck. “I feel like he's at a place in his life where—just like how I feel about myself—it's been a journey of learning yourself and figuring yourself out, getting to a place where you feel really good on your own and who you are so you can be in a happy, healthy relationship.”

As for what’s next, Lopez didn’t specifically mention any plans she has with Affleck. She did, however, say she wants her “future to be full of love and happiness,” with both her children and partner, and right now it seems like the partner she has in mind is none other than Affleck. “I think everybody just wants to be happy, with somebody to go on the journey with and grow old with, and I feel good about that right now.”