‘Bachelor’ star Ryan Sutter shares photo of wife Trista after she reunites with family following her absence

Ryan Sutter is feeling grateful to be reunited with his wife, Trista.

On Sunday, the former reality star posted a sweet black-and-white photo of the two of them, along with their children, Maxwell, 16, and Blakesley, 15, vacationing in Mexico.

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder…. We found out it’s true,” he wrote alongside the image. “It also makes the heart more grateful, more sympathetic, more appreciative for what someone does for you, with you, alongside of you.”

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“It brings questions and wonder and worry and then answers and peace and celebration. It brought time for reflection, for projects, prayer and independence but mostly it brought joy at its conclusion. Real joy. And that’s really what it’s all about…”

Sutter ended the lengthy message by welcoming back his wife and including the hashtags, “#love #love #reunitedanditfeelssogood.”

The couple have been the subject of online speculation following a series of cryptic messages written by both Ryan and Trista.

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Rumors began bubbling earlier this month when Ryan, 49, shared a message on Instagram suggesting that Trista wasn’t with the family to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“I know you wish you were here for Mother’s Day,” he wrote. “We wish you were too. But sometimes being a mom means letting go of their hands, granting independence and stimulating their courageous spirit.”

Last week, the firefighter attempted to clear up any misunderstanding writing that he posted “a message to my wife for a time when she could eventually read it.”

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“She understood the context and so did I. No one else did however, and that’s where things went sideways. It was suggested that Trista had died, we were in trouble or that it must be a mid life crisis among many other creative ideas.”

Ryan confessed that it felt “weird” to be in the news again and “reminded me of how crazy life was and of how grateful I am for the life I have.”

Trista, 51, later defended her husband’s veiled notes with her own seemingly vague message on Saturday.

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“Geez people. Can’t a girl have a nervous breakdown/trial separation/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?! 😜🤣,” she jokingly began alongside a photo of herself and the family.

The former reality star then went on to explain that she had taken “an opportunity for perspective and personal growth” and Ryan had chosen to “share his love for me in messages that would find me in my travels.”

The mother-of-two shared that his words “gave me exactly what my Words of Affirmation love language needed to get me through some serious self doubt and fear…and that’s all that matters.”

Trista added that her husband “doesn’t owe anyone any explanation” before promising that she will share the rest of the story in “due time.”

Trista and Ryan are the longest-standing couple from “The Bachelor” franchise. They married in 2003 after meeting during Trista’s season of “The Bachelorette.”