The Bachelorette bachelor Aven Jones has explained what he meant when he had told Rachel Recchia that he fleetingly felt ready to propose marriage because he had been "caught up."
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"I know that I might have been, I don't know what it is, caught up a little bit in some of it," Aven suggested in conversation with Rachel.
"Caught up?" asked Rachel, who appeared shocked and angry.
"Not in a bad way, Rachel. Not in a bad way," Aven insisted.
"What does that mean, 'caught up?'" Rachel questioned.
"In saying that I thought I might have been ready for this in two weeks... but a life after this is something I want with you," Aven said.
During an appearance on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast co-hosted by Becca Kufrin and Michelle Young, Aven clarified where those triggering words, "caught up," came from.
"I think in that moment, that was probably not the first choice of words I should have gone with," Aven shared on the podcast.
"But, you know, what I was trying to explain to her is that we were going through all of these different, you know, dates and we were having all of these different conversations, and things were just progressing so perfectly with us."
He continued, "And I feel like, you know, me feeling like we were ready, together, to go forward with an engagement, I felt maybe that was coming from a place of being just kind of caught up in everything."
Becca, who starred on The Bachelorette's fourteenth season, pointed out how "it's easy to get swept up" in the lights, cameras, romance and extravagant dates on the franchise.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I don't fault you for saying what you did. Obviously it did catch her off-guard, but I think it was very honest in what you were feeling in that moment," Becca shared.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Aven, who clearly appreciated Becca's support, said that when he finally had a chance to think and reflect on his The Bachelorette journey up to the Final 2, he was essentially brought back to reality.
"So when I had that adequate time to kind of sit there, evaluate where I was at, evaluate where our relationship was at, I unfortunately didn't get the chance to talk to her before meeting her family," Aven explained.
"But I just had some time to think about it, and I had some kind of new emotions and some new thoughts that came to how I was feeling. And that's what I expressed to her family, and unfortunately, I had to talk to her after."
Rachel and Aven had an emotional breakup in his hotel room, with Rachel admitting that she couldn't move forward with their relationship because she wasn't going to sacrifice what she wanted, which was an engagement with a man who was certain about her and completely confident in their relationship.
Rachel felt lied to and betrayed, and she wanted to be on the same page with her final suitors.
"I think once we had that conversation on the couch in my room after, I think something started to really resonate. She started to understand where I was coming from a little bit," Aven said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Aven admitted to Rachel's two best friends that while he could see himself getting engaged to Rachel and spending the rest of his life with her, he couldn't envision himself making the commitment at the end of The Bachelorette process.
Aven wanted the timing to be perfect, since he'd only get one shot at popping the question.
"Getting to a marriage and a life with her is something I want; it's just about the timing of it," Aven said on the show. "I've expressed that I'm ready for an engagement, like, as far as my life is concerned and where I'm at in life."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Aven told Becca and Michelle how he was just trying to do the best that he could in letting everybody know where he was at and where he stood in his relationship with Rachel.
"And, you know, it obviously would've worked out better probably for the both of us if I would've gotten a chance to speak to her first. Because hearing it from her family first was probably the most difficult part for her," Aven reasoned.
"If she would've heard it from me first, then she could've made a decision on whether she wanted me to meet her family or whatever the case may be."
Looking back, the 28-year-old sales executive from San Diego, CA, still believes he did the right thing in telling Rachel's family and friends exactly how he felt.
"I just went in there and I just have too much respect for people's family and people's feelings to go in there and not tell them where I was at in that moment," Aven said.
"So I just tried to do my best to tell them where I was at, and I had to of course communicate that to her after. So it was difficult."
Aven told Rachel before leaving the show that he was never going to get over their split, and he apologized on Part 1 of The Bachelorette finale for hurting her and leading her on with the engagement talk.
Rachel told Aven that she respected how he was being honest with her, and Aven pointed out how he didn't fully understand what she needed and wanted -- which was on him.
ADVERTISEMENT
"You were perfect... but you can't really look back," Rachel concluded. "I'm really happy to see you, and I really just wish you nothing but the best."
Part 2 of The Bachelorette finale airs Tuesday, September 20 from 8-11PM ET/PT on ABC.
Tino Franco is the only man left in the running for Rachel's heart, and Gabby Windey also only has one bachelor remaining, Erich Schwer.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
