JJ’s Proposal and Lani’s Big Fat Secret: Sal Stowers Tells All

Despite keeping a whopper of a secret – the fact that she’s pregnant with Eli’s baby and not JJ’s – Lani accepts JJ’s marriage proposal on Days of Our Lives.

“Lani says yes, because she’s so in love with JJ (Casey Moss),” says Sal Stowers (Lani). “And this is what she wants.”

A Fairytale Dream
“She has this fairytale in her head that if they get married and have a baby, maybe it can all work out. Maybe Eli [Lamon Archey] will let JJ raise this child,” continues Stowers. “Yet, Lani knows that what she’s doing by keeping this lie does have consequences. And she [fears] that something is going to explode soon.”

The Proposal
As for the moment when JJ pops the question, Stowers describes it as “very sweet. They’re in the square together and talking about the baby. JJ’s talking about his life, where he’s trying to go with it, and their future with the baby. Then, he just stands up. Lani doesn’t know what he’s doing. He says Lani’s name and gets down on his knee.”

A picture-perfect romantic scenario, right?  Well, not exactly, because out of the corner of her eye, Lani sees two other people entering the square at that exact moment.

“It’s Eli and Gabi (Camila Banus),” recounts Stowers. “So they experience this with Lani. Lani’s so conflicted because while JJ’s proposing to her, she sees Eli and Gabi standing there. Lani knows she’s making the wrong decision saying yes, but it’s what she wants.”

Off to Celebrate
JJ, of course, is over the moon, when Lani agrees to marry him. Then, someone suggests that they all head off to celebrate together.

“We go straight from the proposal to having a glass of champagne with Gabi and Eli,” says Stowers, admitting that it’s a very awkward situation. “The whole time Eli is giving Lani the cold shoulder and dirty looks. He’s like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you accepting this man’s proposal, when you’re lying to him?’”

Keeping the Secret
While Eli might be keeping mum about being Lani’s baby daddy, he’s definitely not 100 percent onboard with the whole deception.

“Valerie (Vanessa Williams) keeps pushing him and saying he needs to be a part of his son’s life,” shares Stowers. “She doesn’t want him to repeat the same mistake she made [not telling him about his real father]. But Eli’s not ready for a baby, and neither he or Lani signed up to have a child with each other. So Eli is conflicted. He struggles with all of this.”

And so does Lani. “She truly believes that she is holding JJ together and that if he finds out the truth, he’s going to spiral down,” explains Stowers. “She’s afraid he might try to kill himself, like he [was going to do before]. JJ got through a very dark time and is finally happy. That’s why Lani believes she’s doing the right thing.”

What “Lies” Ahead…
Moving forward, Stowers teases that “it’s definitely not going to be smooth sailing” for Lani, yet she is “holding out hope for a happily ever after with JJ. I just don’t know if, with the baby, that’s possible,” she sighs. “And everyone wants her to stop lying to JJ.”

Also, the list of people who know the truth about Lani’s childs’ true paternity is going to increase. “More and more people find out,” says Stowers. “If you think Lani’s world is crumbling now, it’s really going to crumble.”

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for air times.