Drake and Rihanna’s romance has always been something the pair kept quiet, but now Drake is revealing just how in his feelings he was for the singer.

During a recent interview on LeBron James’ HBO series The Shop, the 31-year-old rapper opened up about wanting Rihanna to be the mother of his children.

 

“As life takes shape and teaches you your own lessons, I end up in this situation where I don’t have the fairy tale, like, ‘Oh, Drake started a family with Rihanna and this is like so perfect,’” Drake began. “It looks so good on paper. By the way, I wanted that too at one time.”

Drake and Rihanna, 30, have quite a long, albeit secret, romantic history. It all started in 2005 at a Toronto diner, where Rihanna shot the music video for her debut single “Pon de Replay.” Over the next couple of years, the two would remain off-and-on again until about 2016.

 

At the time, sources confirmed their relationship to PEOPLE saying, “They have been keeping it a secret because this time around, they want to do it right and keep their relationship private.”

TAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGIC; DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES

That same year at the MTV Music Video Awards, Drake professed his love for the “What’s My Name” singer while presenting her with the Video Vanguard Award.

“She’s someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old,” he said, before embracing Rihanna and going in for a kiss. “She’s one of my best friends in the world. She’s a living breathing legend in our industry,” Drake said.

However in October 2016, a few months after the couple became official, a different source close to the couple confirmed to PEOPLE, with one source adding “it’s an open thing.”

In 2018, during an interview for Vogue’s June issue, Rihanna admitted that she and the Canadian rapper are no longer close. “We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either,” Rihanna (née Robyn Fenty) said. “It is what it is.”

 

Since their split, Rihanna has moved on with Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel. Drake also fathered a son named Adonis with French artist and former adult-film star Sophie Brussaux.

During the interview with James, 33, Drake also opened up about his now 1-year-old son and his relationship with Brussaux.

“We have found ourselves in a situation and we are both equally responsible and now, like, I’m just really excited to be a great father,” Drake explained.

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“I’ve learned from and through my father and the incredible things I’ve learned through my mother about patience, about unconditional love.”

Drake and Brussaux were not together when she gave birth to Adonis on Oct. 11 of last year. Back in May 2017, Brussaux claimed she was three-and-a-half months pregnant with Drake’s child and hired two major New York City attorneys to begin the proceedings to prove paternity and seek child support, TMZ reported. Drake learned the results of the DNA test back in March.