Aug. 20, 2007

They already have love and a baby carriage (we're assuming anyway), but is marriage the next big step for Nicole Richie and Joel Madden? The long-simmering vow-swap rumors surrounding the stork-awaiting squeezes reached a boil late last week courtesy of a loose-lipped DJ.

People reports the Good Charlotte front man was exiting the stage after an acoustic set with twin brother Benji on Friday night in Virginia when a Washington, D.C., radio show host named Kane helpfully informed the crowd, "He got engaged yesterday. Congratulations, Joel!"

Madden reportedly shot him a look as he headed into the wings but kept mum amid the applause.

Of course, his silence isn't surprising given that just last month he shut down a Pennsylvania DJ who questioned him about his impending fatherhood by sidestepping, "I don't speak about home at work."

"Joel did not say anything about the engagement other than to wave to the crowd and acknowledge the roar when the radio personality made the announcement," a spy tells Us Weekly. "He then walked off stage."

Kane blabs to People that he heard about the purported betrothal the morning of the concert, citing "good sources," and adding that when he extended his well-wishes to Madden, he supposedly responded, "Thank you so much."

"They're very excited about the baby and the wedding," says the DJ, before offering this irony-laden nugget, "They want to keep their personal life personal."

Richie's rep has yet to comment on the marriage talk, and, as of Monday, the refreshingly swollen starlet wasn't sporting a diamond sparkler on her no-longer-painfully-bony finger.

This was the second time in two days that Joel was pressured to get down on one knee in front of his girlfriend of nine months, who is believed to be about four-and-a-half months along.

During an appearance on "Live With Regis and Kelly" Thursday morning, Reege teased Madden about the aisle-walk rumblings, pointedly asking, "You're going to present her, maybe, with -- did I hear the right thing, or should I not even talk about this?"

Madden's witty rejoinder: "Uh, what?" Philbin continued to drop hints, mentioning a "little ring or something," to which the rocker replied, "I was hoping it would be a surprise."

But it seems the former love of Hilary Duff may have only recently been sold on the idea of settling into domestic bliss.

A "source close to" Joel tells the Chicago Sun-Times that getting him on board the whole "sticking together until parted by the cold clammy hand of death" thing has been "something of a process.''

He was initially resistant to the idea of saying "I do," the mole tells the paper, "But I think the way Joel and Nicole's relationship has developed, and as he watched her dealing with the DUI conviction and the way she's talked about [the upcoming four-day] jail sentence, I think his affection and love for her has truly deepened."

Madden also appears to be impressed with how Nicole is dealing with the bun baking in her once concave oven, according to the New York Daily News.

"I've heard pregnancy was hard, but Nicole's making it so easy," he was reportedly overheard gushing during a deejaying gig last week at a New York hot spot.

But is she making it hard for him to schmooze with fans? The New York Post claims Richie, worried about setting off tabloid chatter about trouble in their relationship, has forbidden Madden from striking a pose with hot honeys.

During his DJ set, Joel apparently demurred when the event's promoter wanted to snap a photo of him and a "cute young woman."

"He said he couldn't," says the mole, "as Nicole gave him strict orders not to take pictures with other celebrities or girls for rumor purposes."

Next: Romance Report: Cam & John Get 'Super-Flirty'