The Bachelor star Chris Soules found new concerns but also ditched some old concerns about Becca Tilley as he got to spend more and more time with her.
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Soules enjoyed a second one-on-one date with Tilley in Des Moines, Iowa, shortly following their special date in Deadwood.
"I know I just had a one-on-one with Becca in Deadwood, but it catapulted our relationship forward, and I wanted to build on that momentum. It was so nice to spend a regular day with Becca. Just hanging with her in my loft felt so normal. That afternoon with Becca was really enlightening for me, in two ways," Soules wrote in his People blog.
"For one, it reinforced the feelings I thought I had for her. I honestly started falling for her in a real way that day. Secondly, she told me she'd never been in love, which answered some questions I had about her initial hesitance."
Soules insisted Tilley's past explained why she had been moving slower than the other women.
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"While it partially worried me about her future ability to fall in love, there was something special about thinking I could be the first person she fell in love with," he noted.
Despite weighing the pros and cons of falling for a woman with little romance in her history, Soules was very excited to visit her hometown in Louisiana.
"I haven't spent much time in the South, and I'd never been to Louisiana, but it was exactly how I pictured it. The bayou was almost as beautiful as Becca, and I was happy I didn't have to wrestle a gator! (But if it came down to it, I would wrestle a gator, a bear -- hell, I might even throw down with Hulk Hogan to protect Becca.)" joked the 33-year-old Iowa farmer from Arlington.
"Hearing from Becca that she'd never brought a man home before made me even more nervous to meet her family, but as soon as I walked into that house, I felt at home. Becca's family is truly fantastic. They're tight-knit and loving, and they're all beautiful."
Soules said he felt right at home because Tilley's relatives reminded him of his own.
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"I could see myself fitting in with that family, and I could see our families meshing together perfectly. After meeting them I could see why Becca is such a special person. Unfortunately you didn't get to see my chat with Becca's brother-in-law, former NFL stud Jacob Hester," Soules wrote.
"As a former football player and a guy who loves watching the game, I was a bit starstruck when we first sat down to chat in his basement, which was, by the way, a complete shrine to his career... And, the guy is so down-to-earth and cool. I could totally see him as my brother-in-law. Okay, enough about my man crush. Becca's whole family was awesome, and meeting them definitely moved our relationship to another level."
While Soules and Tilley strengthened their connection in Louisiana, Tilley's sister Katie also presented the Bachelor with a new list of worries.
"Hearing from Becca's sister, Katie, that Becca was not an intimate person definitely worried me. I'm very intimate, and intimacy is a very important part of a relationship for me. I'm also very affectionate and touchy-feely (as you all know by now), so that was definitely cause for some concern. But my feelings for Becca outweighed all of my concerns," Soules said.
And there was something special about Tilley's hometown date that didn't get edited into the episode.
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"What you don't know is that day with Becca's family was actually her birthday! I had given her a gift (a necklace and bracelets), and that's why I set up that special Ferris wheel ride," Soules revealed.
"Becca had told me the state fair was in town and how much she loved it, so I arranged to go there after it closed, to take her on a special birthday ride. I'm not going to lie, it was one of the most romantic moments of my life, and in that moment, Becca did not seem scared of intimacy."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski