Christine Baumgartner and Josh Connor bond over dinner, friends spill marriage plans

Less than a year after blindsiding Kevin Costner with divorce papers, Christine Baumgartner is gearing up for her second trip down the aisle.

Josh Connor, a divorced father-of-three, who has been dating Christine since at least January.

However, Costner alleged during a court hearing last September that their romance ignited well before their own split.

Friends of the couple shared with DailyMail.com that the relationship has turned serious since their first public outing together in January.

The smitten financier has even confided in colleagues about their wedding plans.

One insider noted, “Josh believes he can offer Christine what Kevin couldn’t, despite his high-powered executive career.”

“He understands how crucial her children are to her—as his are to him. Blending two families isn’t easy, but she’s worth it.”

DailyMail.com reveals that this process is already underway, with bringing her three children from her marriage to Yellowstone star Kevin Costner to a Memorial Day weekend dinner with Josh Connor in Montecito.

Exclusive photos capture Connor and a casually-dressed Christine arriving separately at the upscale Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club with their daughters, Grace and Abigail, both 13, for an early dinner.

While Connor, Christine, and Abigail stayed late at the $2,500-a-month private club, her sons arrived and left in their father’s black Ford F-150 truck within 10 minutes, opting to take bags of takeout food rather than dine with their mother and her soon-to-be new husband.