Advertisement

Teresa Guidice's Boyfriend Luis Ruelas Says He's 'in for the Long Haul' as He Makes RHONJ Debut

Teresa Giudice/instagram Luis Ruelas and Teresa Giudice

After a long season of waiting, Teresa Giudice has finally introduced her new boyfriend on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

During Wednesday's season finale of the Bravo reality series, Teresa, 48, documented her date with Luis "Louie" Ruelas, whom she had kept off the show until now. (She made their relationship Instagram official in December.)

"Getting back out in the dating world is really hard for me. I was married for almost 20 years. So when I first met Louie, I was nervous. It was like, very slow, baby steps," Teresa said in her confessional. "Our third date he gave me a kiss goodbye and that's when I was like, 'Mmm that was nice.' I got butterflies."

"Even though it's only been a few months I do feel like Louie and I, it's just very easy," she added.

"Joe, like, he just didn't know how to act," she said of ex-husband Joe Giudice. "But with Louie, I smile every day, he makes me laugh all the time. I love how smart he is. He's really successful, he's an entrepreneur."

Teresa Giudice/Instagram Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas

RELATED: Teresa Giudice Is 'So Eternally Grateful' to Have Found Boyfriend Luis Ruelas: 'We Go Together So Well'

"One of the things I love most about Louie is he's an amazing dad. He has two sons. There's just so many qualities that I love about him," she concluded.

At their dinner date, Teresa and Louie discussed their relationship so far.

"I know you haven't met a lot of my friends, because, really, I'm not really telling anybody you know, just because I want to get to know you for me," she told him. "And as you see, I'm very guarded, especially because I have four daughters." (Teresa and Joe share daughters Gia, 20, Gabriella, 17, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 12.)

"Of course, if one of your daughters says, 'That guy's an a------,' then like, you're going to send me packing. If my son said the same thing, there's no compromises on stuff like that," he said.

teresa giudice/instagram Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas

RELATED: RHONJ: Melissa Gorga Predicts Teresa Giudice's Boyfriend Luis Ruelas Will Be 'Her Husband'

Reminiscing on meeting her for the first time, Louie said, "I absolutely did not expect to meet you, and I really thought I'd probably be alone for like, the next 10 years."

"I thought that too just because I'm in the public eye and it's really hard for me to trust people," Teresa replied.

"I'm very grateful. You really are amazing," he said, as she told him, "So are you."

"You're literally like, a dream come true," he added.

"I love that Louie gets me and I have always wanted that. And it's so crazy because I don't know what the future holds, but this is the best I've felt in a really long time," Teresa told cameras.

RELATED VIDEO: Teresa Giudice and Boyfriend Luis Enjoy Family Dinner with Her Ex-Husband Joe and Their Kids

RELATED: RHONJ: Joe Gorga Tells His Friends That Sister Teresa Giudice Is 'in Love' with Her New Boyfriend

As the finale episode came to a close, a clip played of Teresa calling Louie while she was filming her confessional.

"Hi, I just want to say love you," she said when he answered.

"I love you," he replied, before adding, "I'm in for the long haul. My plan is to, you know, I want to be with her 'til her boobs sag to the floor."

At Margaret Josephs' Halloween party earlier in the episode, though, Teresa fielded questions about why she didn't bring Louie along as her date.

"Well they're asking, 'Where's your date?' I'm like, 'Let me get there at my own pace!'" she told costar Dolores Catania.

Rodolfo Martinez/Bravo Cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey

RELATED: RHONJ: Teresa Giudice Finds Out Ex Joe Knows About Her New Relationship — 'People Have Loose Lips'

"I'm telling you, don't let them get involved with your relationship," advised Dolores, 50.

"Yeah I know, I know, because even with my brother, he's like, running his mouth a little too much," Teresa said, before the conversation turned to brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa Gorga.

"Now I know that Melissa and Joe, they have things going on in the relationship," Dolores said.

"I guess they're having their issues," Teresa noted. "You know, right now I feel like you could say kind of they're broken."

Jason Koerner/Getty Melissa and Joe Gorga

RELATED: RHONJ: Melissa Gorga Defends Husband Joe After Margaret Josephs Calls Him a 'Chauvinist'

Melissa, 42, then defended Joe to her friends after Margaret's claim that he's chauvinistic. After a heated conversation that involved Joe, Melissa pulled him aside to settle the argument.

"I'm being serious, if me and you are going through something, I don't need everybody else talking about it, it annoys me," she told her husband. "I'll say what I want about you. I don't want to hear everybody else."

"Well, I was waiting for you to say something," he said.

"I said plenty," Melissa replied. "Just realize that you're very lucky."

"Is this something that's really serious with them?" Jennifer Aydin asked back in the party while Melissa and Joe talked outside.

"It's serious," Dolores said. "She wants independence. He wants things to stay the way they are. I know the end to the play, and it could turn out bad."

"We live very old school," Melissa told Joe, though he denied that claim — "I don't think so. I think you're in la la land."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"It's my own fault. I created this life, keep your man happy, my mother believed in that, my mother-in-law believed in that and I don't believe in it anymore," Melissa said in her confessional.

"I don't think it's old school … old school you would never even leave the house," Joe told her before Melissa shut down the conversation and they decided to leave the party early.

"I don't want to die unhappy," she concluded in her confessional. "I want to feel fulfilled, not just as a mom, and I've never seen Joe fight so hard against something that I want. So, I am feeling really scared about our relationship because I've never felt this exhaustion and feeling of giving up."

Part 1 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 11 reunion will air Wednesday, May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo, with part 2 following at the same time on May 26.