Nayte Olukoya has explained why his stepfather believed Nayte wouldn't be ready for an engagement to Michelle Young by the end of The Bachelorette process.
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Nayte told his parents, mother Leanna and stepfather Charles, during his hometown date that he was heading in the direction of wanting to propose marriage to Michelle.
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But Leanna worried Nayte had been "swept up in the process," and Charles warned Michelle, "I don't know if he can handle this. I don't know if he's going to get to that point [of an engagement]."
Charles added, "I don't want him to emotionally hurt himself or you. You feel this great vibe but then at the end, suddenly he emotionally realizes he's not there yet."
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Nayte explained what was going through Charles' mind during Thursday's episode of the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast co-hosted by Joe Amabile, Natasha Parker and Tia Booth.
"I think my stepdad was like, 'You know what? I should've taken a couple of steps back in that moment, realizing that you and I have never really had this conversation before and so who am I to say whether you are ready or not?'" Nayte revealed.
Nayte and Charles had never said "I love you" to each other before this hometown date. In fact, the pair had never really discussed their emotions or feelings at all.
Nayte had also never been in love before, and Michelle was the first woman he brought home to meet his family.
"I think his gut feeling was that maybe I'm not ready for an engagement and that since I'm inexperienced... maybe I should take things slow," Nayte said on the podcast.
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Michelle therefore left the hometown date with some doubts and fear in her heart about her future with Nayte. Michelle was afraid that Nayte didn't reciprocate her strong feelings and she could end up rejected and crushed at the end of the show.
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"But ultimately, after talking to my stepdad and my mom after that episode aired... the biggest takeaway is that they just don't want me to get hurt," Nayte shared.
"I think that's where most of their concern was really coming from."
The 27-year-old Canadian sales executive currently living in Austin, TX, elaborated, "It wasn't so much, 'Is he ready or not?'"
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"It was moreso, like, 'We can see how Nayte is feeling about Michelle and this is new and there's a chance he could be absolutely heartbroken in the most public way possible,' which adds fuel to the flame."
Given Nayte appeared head over heels for Michelle and she still had three other men in the picture at that point, Nayte recalled, "[They] wanted to protect their son from possibly being heartbroken."
During Nayte and Michelle's subsequent overnight date in Mexico, he told the Bachelorette everything she had been waiting -- and needed -- to hear.
"Falling in love is one thing, being in love is another thing, and then an engagement is another thing. Which of those are you ready for?" Michelle asked Nayte before giving him a key to their Fantasy Suite during the latest episode.
"I mean, all three," Nayte replied. "Falling in love, being in love and loving you. There's something about you that I am certain about. I know I trust myself, I trust you, and I trust that I am literally falling in love with you."
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Michelle said she could definitely see herself getting engaged at the end of The Bachelorette, and when asked if he could "get there" as well," Nayte confirmed, "Most definitely. With you, yeah."
Nayte assured Michelle that he wouldn't pull away from her and he wanted to continue being vulnerable and putting himself out there.
A huge weight had therefore been lifted off Michelle's heart, and any lingering concerns she had about Nayte or his intentions were "resolved" in that moment.
After spending the night together, Nayte and Michelle appeared closer than ever, and Michelle said she felt completely confident and secure in their romance.
"I am falling in love with you, I am IN love with you. This is what I want," Nayte told Michelle.
"So Nayte is in love?" Michelle asked.
"Nayte is in love," he replied.
Michelle therefore declared, "Well I am definitely in love with you too."
It appeared in this moment Nayte had won Michelle's heart and Brandon Jones was a close second.
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The Bachelorette's Season 18 finale is set to air as a three-hour event on Tuesday, December 21 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC, and fans will find out whether Michelle picked Nayte or Brandon at the Final Rose Ceremony.
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