Bachelorette Finale: Tayshia gets engaged!
NEW YORK -- Tayshia thought she was down to her two final men, Ivan and Zac, but then Ben showed up, professed his love, and wanted another chance. "The Bachelorette" told him, "Have I missed you? Absolutely." So, she decided to invite him to the rose ceremony. As Ben thanked her for talking to him, she kissed him. She started to second-guess kissing him right after she did it. Ben said that it made him blackout because he's never been happier in his entire life. "I'm 100% confident I'm going to get a rose," he said.
Rose Ceremony
Imagine Zac and Ivan's surprise when Ben walked in. He told the guys that he was invited there, and he was waiting to see what happened. Tayshia told them that Brendan had left and she had two roses to give out. Tayshia picked up a rose, and then set it back down. She asked Ivan to go talk. Poor Ivan, he knew this wouldn't be a good conversation. Tayshia told him that she's concerned about their differences in religion. Apparently, it's a roadblock for them. Tayshia told him that she thinks the world of him, but she had to say goodbye. She told Zac and Ben she was excited for them to meet her family and offered them the roses. They both accepted.
Tayshia's Family Meets Ben
Tayshia's mom, dad, and brothers were there to meet Ben and Zac. Her dad was surprised when he learned that Tayshia sent Ben home and he decided to come back. Ben was really nervous going into the meeting.
He brought flowers for her mom. Ben joked, "She dumped me last week." Tayshia did a toast with her family and Ben to second chances. Her dad liked his West Point background, but he didn't want her to have to work so hard to get him to feel the same as she did. Ben told her mother that Tayshia is the woman he could imagine marrying and having children with someday. "It's a forever thing," he said. "I want to tell you, I'm in love with your daughter." Ben told her dad that he loves Tayshia and he was just afraid to tell her at first. He seemed to understand where Ben was coming from. Her dad seems to really like Ben! Then, Ben and the whole family went scooter riding around the resort together. They all got along really well. Tayshia and Ben rode off on their scooters to continue their date alone.
Tayshia's Family Meets Zac
Zac also brought flowers for Tayshia's mom and gave her family a warm welcome. Zac told her family that he felt very lucky to be there and he said that the first time he saw Tayshia glow and light up was when she was talking about them. Tayshia said that Zac makes her laugh, feel excited, but she wanted to know her family's feelings. Her dad kept telling her there is no rush to get engaged. Her mother spoke with Zac and asked him if he loves Tayshia. He said that he did and he told Tayshia that he loved her and that she said it back. Zac said his feelings get stronger for Tayshia every time he sees her. Zac told Tayshia's mom that he sees them married, madly in love, and hopefully starting a family in the next five years. Zac said that he wants to support Tayshia through the tough times to her father. He added that he knows the expectations are high because Tayshia's dad set them high. Zac came in strong, and I think, probably did better than Ben at reassuring her family of his feelings. They finished their family meeting with a New York-style pizza before they spent a few minutes kissing outside.
Tayshia's Dad Has Doubts
There was a knock at the door and Tayshia was a little concerned. Her dad was there to tell her he doesn't want her to make a mistake. He said that he's worried that she'll get hurt again and doesn't want to see her end up divorced. Apparently, her family wasn't sold on either guy? I think he doesn't want her rushing into anything.
Zac's Last Date
Tayshia sat down and chatted with Zac about how it went with her family. She told him that she had fun, and Zac said that he really liked meeting them. He said he understood that they are protective of her and her feelings. Zac told her that he's ready for the end of the journey. He sensed the trepidation from her and it was worrying him. They went to a ballroom dance class where they learned a "first dance" that you would do at a wedding. That seemed to worry Tayshia at first, and then she got frustrated and seemed to have a tough time getting in sync with him. Zac told her to just roll with it and tried to bring a calming presence. By the end of it, she was having a good time. The dance instructors smiled and were really proud of them!
That evening, they settled in for some deep conversations in Zac's room. Tayshia said that she keeps thinking about what could go wrong and their feelings for each other changing in the future. She talked about how she's ambitious now, but what if she wants to be a stay-at-home-mom later? I would argue both require ambition. Zac did his best to reassure her that he's the real deal and not going anywhere. He was 9 years sober that day and he said being sober keeps him from running away. Zac said that he wouldn't propose to her unless he was ready to be there with her for the rest of his life. He understands what it means. He doesn't care what her job is in the future, he loves her for her. Zac took her over to the bed where they shared some pillow talk about what they love about each other and how their whole relationship feels like a dream. "Well dreams come true," he said. She joked that he sounded like a Hallmark card and he wrapped it all up with an, "I love you, I really love you."
Ben's Last Date
Tayshia went into the day knowing that Ben wasn't the one. She decided she didn't want to go on the date after all. Tayshia told Ben that she cares about him so much, but her heart is with someone else. She said there wasn't enough time to makeup what was lost. She already knows what she wants and doesn't want him to regret anything he did. Ben said he was hopeful that they would be together and that he still loves her, but he wants her to be happy. Tayshia said she hopes he will be happy too. "Someday," he said. He then said, "I'm happy for you, I'm serious." She gave him a hug goodbye and then cried. He sat down and wiped away tears as he tried to envision his future without Tayshia.
Zac Picks a Ring
Zac met with Neil Lane and picked a gorgeous emerald cut ring surrounded with a halo of little diamonds. It's incredibly gorgeous!
The Final Rose
Tayshia wore a beautiful silver gown as she headed to the finale location. Chris Harrison met her there and she admitted to him that she's getting nervous. She seemed sure of the fact that she was in love, but could she get through her nerves? Chris Harrison said, "This is everything we've ever wanted for you." She cried some nervous tears and walked out to the podium that held the final rose.
Zac arrived holding the engagement ring and Chris Harrison escorted him in. He looked super handsome in his blue suit. He held her hands and started his speech. He told her that he was there because he was supposed to meet her and fall in love with her. Zac said that nothing has ever felt so right in his entire life. "You've helped me experience a love that I didn't know existed," he said. "I love you Tayshia. I love you because you're a fighter. I love you because you are a strong independent woman. I love you because you are a dork. I love you because you drive me," Zac said. He added, "I promise to be loyal to you."
Tayshia told him that she loves that he's kind, comforting, and can read her better than anybody. She said she didn't think she would ever get married again, "I know that I told you that I love you, but it's more than that, it's this wild, wild, love that I have tried to come up with so many reasons to not believe and you have truly made me believe that there isn't flaws. I deserve a man that isn't going to run away," she said. She wants to jump in fountains all over the world with him! "I'm ready to start a life with you, but also, I love you Zac Clark."
Cue the proposal: "The night of my hometown when you walked in and my parents got to see the smile on my face, you gave them the best present because they hadn't gotten to see that in years," Zac started. "I can't picture another day, another moment, without you in my life, and if you'll let me, I'm going to choose you right now, I'm going to choose you tomorrow morning, and next week, and next month, next year, and forever, because I love you. Marry me?" "Yes!" Tayshia said, "Yes a thousand times!" Zac pumped his fist in the air as they kissed! Then, Tayshia didn't forget, she offered Zac the final rose and he accepted. "We did it!" they exclaimed as they spun around. Let's hope Tayshia and Zac live happily ever after! They hailed their tiny wooden taxi from his "hometown date" and they "rode" the taxi to New York, New York. "Good Morning America" will have an interview with Tayshia Wednesday morning. We'll get to find out how she and Zac are doing.
