Celebrity Parents Josh Duhamel's Fiancée Audra Mari Would 'Love to Have Kids' with Him, Source Says Josh Duhamel announced his engagement to Audra Mari over the weekend on Instagram By Georgia Slater Georgia Slater Georgia Slater is an associate editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 10, 2022 05:12PM EST Audra Mari and Josh Duhamel. Photo: Josh Duhamel/Instagram Josh Duhamel's fiancée Audra Mari is all about family. Following the happy news of Duhamel and Mari's engagement over the weekend, a source close to Mari tells PEOPLE that she would "love to have kids with Josh." The source adds that Mari, 28, is "very sweet, caring and close with her family" and is "getting to know" Duhamel's 8-year-old son Axl Jack, whom he shares with ex Fergie. "Josh spends a lot of time with his son," says the insider, sharing that he is "very protective of Axl." "It took a while before Audra met him," adds the source. 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. Josh Duhamel Announces Engagement to Audra Mari — and Gets Congratulations from Ex Fergie While the former Miss World America doesn't have kids of her own, she is a proud aunt and loves sharing photographs of family members on her Instagram feed. "Be brave. Be kind. Be YOU. I love you sweet girl… go get 'em♥️," Mari wrote alongside a recent post of her niece. She closed off the caption, adding: "Xx Auntie Audra." Audra Mari and Josh Duhamel. Audra Mari/Instagram The Transformers star has been dating Mari since 2019 following his divorce from Fergie. The "Big Girls Don't Cry" singer filed for divorce in late May 2019, nearly two years after she and Duhamel announced their split in a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE in September 2017. On Saturday, Duhamel announced the news of their engagement on Instagram with a photo of the couple posing by the beach. "It's on!! She found a message in a bottle that washed ashore and said YES!! @audramari," the actor captioned the shot of the pair smiling, while he held up a handwritten letter that read: "Audra Diane Mari Will You Marry Me?" Fergie, 46, celebrated the couple in the comment section, writing, "Congrats!!!💚💚💚💚💚💚."