Bethenny Frankel's Boyfriend Wishes Her a Happy Birthday: 'I'm So Lucky to Have You in My Life'

Bethenny Frankel‘s 49th birthday kicked off with a sweet message from her boyfriend, Paul Bernon.

The film producer and real estate executive posted a loving note to Frankel on his Instagram page Monday, alongside a photo of Frankel toasting him at dinner.

“Happy birthday!” wrote Bernon, 42. “You have brought me true happiness, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

“No one is smarter, funnier, or makes a bigger impact to help those around us,” he continued. “Thank you for being the most loving partner. I can’t wait to celebrate you today ❤️ 👑 🦊 😍.”

Frankel responded to Bernon’s message in the comments section, adding an “XO” symbol and heart emoji.

Frankel and Bernon have been dating for over a year. They starting seeing each other in September 2018 after the death of Frankel’s on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields. The businessman was found dead of a suspected overdose in his Trump Tower apartment in August 2018. He was 51.

“Having such a supportive and loving partner makes me a better person & inspires me to achieve the impossible,” Frankel wrote in an Instagram tribute to Bernon in September. “Happy Anniversary! I love you and thank you for the most beautiful year! ♥️❌⭕️♥️😘”

The Real Housewives of New York City alumna and Skinnygirl founder also sang Bernon’s praises while celebrating his birthday in July.

“Happy Birthday, Paul,” Frankel wrote. “You are such a brilliant, sweet, beautiful, kind, hilarious person. You have enriched my life immeasurably. You make me laugh to the point of tears… You embrace my life, my spirit, my daughter, my career, my goals, and my choices. The very few people who truly know you are the luckiest people in the world.”

“You have literally and figuratively saved my life,” she added, a nod to his assistance when she was hospitalized after suffering a near-fatal allergic reaction to fish in December.

She also went on to compliment Bernon for embracing her family, including her two dogs and her 9-year-old daughter Bryn.

“[We] love you so much and are so lucky to have you in our lives,” Frankel wrote. “Have the most incredible day ever!!!! May all of your wishes come true!”

Frankel and Bernon went public with their relationship last December, when Frankel shared two photos of the couple celebrating Christmas together in the Dominican Republic.

Speaking to PEOPLE in April, Frankel raved about the relationship, saying she was “a lucky gal.”

“It’s been good. Things between us are really nice,” she said at the time.

“We’re together a lot,” she added. “I have a really good balance in work, life, love. I’m really happy.”

Earlier that month, during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Frankel called her “incredible” boyfriend “a beautiful human being inside and out.”

“And yes, Bryn knows him and loves him,” she added. “They’re very, very similar people.”

Since then, the couple have sparked engagement rumors, especially after Frankel posted a photo with a large diamond ring on her left ring finger.

However, an insider told PEOPLE at the time that “she’s not engaged” and just “has an amazing jewelry closet.” Frankel is also still legally married to her estranged husband Jason Hoppy.