Larsa pippen on realizing her feelings for 'best friend'–turned–boyfriend marcus jordan: 'i was jealous'

Larsa Pippen is revealing the moment she realized that she was more than friends with now-boyfriend Marcus Jordan. _The Real Housewives of Miami_ star, 48, exclusively tells PEOPLE that

their relationship turned romantic after she got jealous during a night out with the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan. "I think it was one night we went out and there was a girl that

was there. She was trying to talk to him, and I was getting jealous over it," she recalls. "And it was weird because I'm not really the jealous person, but I was jealous over

the situation." She adds: "And so then, I was thinking maybe I do really like him. That kind of sealed the deal." The television personality says the couple "had a great

foundation as friends" after meeting through mutual friends at a party in Los Angeles four years ago. The pair have been linked since September and went Instagram official on

Valentine's Day. "I do feel like timing is everything and it started off just getting to know each other and then, here we are," she shares. Pippen — who finalized her divorce

from ex-husband Scottie Pippen in January 2022 — also opened up about the pitfalls of dating before finding her "best friend" Jordan. "For me, I just could never be open and

open to different guys," she explains. "I would find faults in every guy… I had all these quirky things and then low and behold, Marcus drops down from heaven. And I'm like, I

like everything about him." While the reality star admits that relationships are "really hard," she says wants to please Jordan. "I feel like I always joke around and I

say, 'Oh my God, if Marcus told me to color my hair green, I'm going to do it,'" she shares. "Just because I feel like I have to make him happy because he makes me

so happy." She adds that she trusts Jordan in a way she never has before. "The thing with me is this, I like to be led [in relationships], but I haven't trusted anyone to lead

me until now." Pippen also says that _RHOM _fans can expect to see Jordan on the hit Bravo show "a little bit." "I don't want to put too much pressure on him. I

feel like he signed up for me," she explains. "I don't think he signed up for the show, but I do feel like we're together now and if there's events and there's

stuff, he would normally go with me, so he'd come there too." _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._ _The Real Housewives of Miami_ is now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes airing Thursdays.