'We've Manifested This Beautiful Family'

THE OSCAR NOMINATED ACTOR AND MUSICIAN FINDS HAPPINESS WITH HIS NEW WIFE AND THEIR NEWBORN BABY

- JANINE RUBENSTEIN

On a warm afternoon in Pasadena, LaKeith Stanfield's serious, smoldering expression melts into a gentle smile as his newborn baby is brought into the room where he and his wife Kasmere are posing for a photo shoot. As he cuddles his pint-size little one, the acclaimed actor and flourishing musician, 31, morphs into just Dad. “There's life before being a parent, and then there's life being a parent. It completely changes,” says Stanfield. “The connection with my kids is something unlike any I’ve ever had in my life. It’s a stronger love than I’ve ever felt.”

Now the father of three (he has two daughters under age 7 from past relationships) is building a happy new chapter with model Kasmere (née Trice), 29. The pair announced their engagement on Instagram last December. They’ve since married in private and are ready to open up about their romance and reveal their baby news. “We decided early on we wanted to protect our baby as much as we can for as long as possible,” Kasmere says of their child, whose name and gender they’ve chosen to withhold. Adds Stanfield: “Being in the public eye can be something that’s amazing, but it can also be something that is very hard on you. There need to be things that exist that are sacred and not for consumption for everybody.” Their reason for speaking out now: “We want to be the ones to tell our story. We’re bringing our family forward so we may inspire others.”