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Jose Fernandez’s Girlfriend Maria Arias: ‘It Was Definitely Not Love At First Sight’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 21:09 PST, Apr 10, 2017

Maria Arias has finally opened up about her deceased boyfriend, Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who tragically died just several months after conceiving their daughter Penelope Fernandez.

It has been nearly seven months since Jose Fernandez died in a tragic boating accident on Miami Beach, and a lot has happened in Maria Arias’ life since then: funerals, memorials, investigation, intrusive media, pregnancy, and giving birth to daughter Penelope Fernandez.

In a recent interview with People magazine, Maria Arias opened up about her pregnancy, the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, as well as being a single mother to Penelope Fernandez, who was born on February 24.

During the interview, Maria Arias exclusively revealed that she was not exactly impressed when she first met Jose Fernandez years ago through family.

Maria Arias, who raises their only daughter Penelope Fernandez, says her first impression of Jose Fernandez was “a center of attention type guy,” and that was a major turn off for Arias, who says she is not fond of attention herself.

“It was definitely not love at first sight.”

But Maria Arias and Jose Fernandez, who never got the chance to get married, proved that love at first sight is not an indicator of true love.

Maria Arias admitted that Jose Fernandez caught her attention only after he delivered an emotional toast at a group dinner. That’s when the two became friends and eventually fell in love.

“He expressed himself in a more serious way, and I began to see him differently.”

Maria Arias quickly went from being “not impressed” with Jose Fernandez to “talking until five in the morning” and falling in love with the Miami Marlins pitcher, who then was a psychology student and aspiring athlete.

In June 2016, Maria Arias and Jose Fernandez found out they were expecting Penelope Fernandez, whom the Miami Marlins pitcher never got to see or hold in his hands.

Speaking of her pregnancy, Maria Arias confessed that she was scared that people would “judge” her for getting pregnant in a relationship that was so recent.

“I’m not ignorant to that, and I didn’t want people to judge me.”

But it was Jose Fernandez’s love and commitment to their relationship that made her feel “strong” and “confident” about the pregnancy, Maria Arias admitted.

Three months after finding out Maria Arias was pregnant with Penelope Fernandez, Jose Fernandez died in a tragic boating accident while driving a high-speed powerboat.

After a six-month investigation, officials concluded that Jose Fernandez had traces of cocaine in his blood and his alcohol level exceeded the legal limit by two times. Other two passengers onboard, who also died in the September 25, 2016, incident, also had alcohol and cocaine in their systems, according to the Miami Herald.

Just several weeks before his death, Jose Fernandez and Maria Arias went to a clinic and found out they were having a baby girl. In fact, Arias reveals that the Marlins’ pitcher was the one who chose the name for Penelope Fernandez, after a famous Spanish song.

“He loved her from the moment she was conceived. Everyone knew how excited he was to be a dad, he made sure of it.”

Maria Arias, in her turn, made sure she had a piece of Jose Fernandez with her while giving birth to Penelope Fernandez. Arias says she kept a piece of Jose’s clothing since the tragic incident, and she slept with it every night.

“I had it around my neck the whole time. So, when they put her on top of me it was kind of like both of us being present.”

Penelope Fernandez, who is now almost 2-months-old, has her father Jose Fernandez’s light brown hair and her grandmother’s blue eyes.

[Featured Image by Wilfredo Lee/AP Images]

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