“I was the happiest I have ever been in my life,” the NBA player tells PEOPLE about his surprise proposal.

The Power Book II: Ghost alum, 32, got engaged to Phoenix Suns forward Royce O’Neale, 31, on February 13 during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which the couple exclusively confirms to PEOPLE.

The pair were enjoying a private dinner at the luxury oceanfront resort, surrounded by rose petals, soft candlelight, and a crackling fireplace. For the final course, they were served a slice of red velvet cake with “Will You Marry Me?” written on the plate.

“I was feeling nervous because I didn’t want to show any signs or give away that something was about to happen,” O’Neale shares with PEOPLE. “I was so excited because I knew Paige wasn’t expecting it, and I wanted it to be a huge, special surprise.”

Despite some travel delays that threw off his plans, the NBA player says the proposal still happened “right on time.” Meanwhile, Hurd “had absolutely no idea” he was planning to propose.

“During the proposal, I was in total shock; it took me almost a minute to stand up,” says Hurd, who most recently starred as the lead in the Lifetime movie Girl in the Garage: The Laura Cowan Story.

Even when calling her family to share the news, Hurd was still “in shock.”

“I’m over the moon and so happy,” the actress says.

O’Neale feels just as thrilled about the engagement.

“After the proposal, I was the happiest I’ve ever been because she said ‘yes,'” the basketball pro says. “The proposal was such a great surprise, and she was so shocked because she thought it would happen at another time after dinner.”

“I had just told myself and my therapist I wasn’t dating for a while,” Hurd recalls. “I was focusing on myself and on my spiritual walk, and then boom, there’s Royce. He was so nice, and I said we could be friends. Eventually, he won me over, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. He’s my best friend first.”

O’Neale seemingly manifested his relationship. He “always had a crush” on Hurd because he grew up watching her in various TV shows and movies.

“She was my lifelong crush,” he says. “A couple of years ago, I was talking with my friends, and I said one day I’d meet her, date her, and marry her. They thought I was joking, but I was serious — we just had to meet in person first.”

The couple realized they were meant to be after only a few months of dating.

“I’m incredibly lucky and blessed. Royce is the most thoughtful, down-to-earth, gentle man I’ve ever known, and I couldn’t be happier to spend the rest of my life with him,” Hurd says. “Deep down, I knew for a while, but it was definitely clear in August of last year.”

O’Neale agrees that it was in early autumn when he knew Hurd was the one.

“I knew I wanted to marry Paige and spend the rest of my life with her,” he says. “We spent a lot of time together, traveled, lived together, met each other’s families and close friends, learned about each other, and loved being with each other all the time.”

On January 1, New Year’s Day, O’Neale confirmed his relationship with Hurd by posting several holiday photos on Instagram. In the caption, he reflected on how “thankful and grateful” he was for 2024. Hurd commented, “🥰🖤 what a year.”

The actress, who is the goddaughter of the late rapper DMX, shared a picture with O’Neale on January 4. “🧸,” Hurd captioned her Instagram post, to which O’Neale commented, “I love it here 🖤🧸.”

Fans quickly reacted to the relationship on Instagram and X, with NBACentral posting two pictures of the couple on the latter platform. They commented on how “lucky” O’Neale is, saying that he’s “winning” in life.

“Royce might have more game off the court than on the court,” one fan joked.