The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay felt her relationship with Peter Kraus progressed to the next level when he met her family in Dallas -- until she watched The Bachelorette episode back on TV.
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"I knew what it was like to have reservations, but also I knew we had to get past them soon if we were going to make this relationship work. I was shocked when he confessed he was falling in love before we even got in the door!" Rachel wrote in her People blog.
Despite telling Rachel that he was falling in love with her, Peter told the Bachelorette's mother Kathy that he wasn't sure he'd be ready to pop the question at the end of it all.
So instead of asking for Kathy's permission to potentially propose marriage, Peter requested her blessing to simply continue dating Rachel.
"It was actually tough watching his one-on-one conversations and seeing my mother support his reluctance to propose," Rachel confessed. "We had just taken a big step forward by saying 'love' and it felt like she was supporting a step backward."
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Rachel was also hurt by Peter and Kathy's discussion because the bachelor's actions during that family visit spoke volumes.
"Watching Peter color with my nephew Alistair on the kitchen floor made him seem ready for an engagement," Rachel noted.
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But after an "almost perfect day," Rachel wrote in her blog that she "still had doubts" about whether Peter "would be ready to start his own family in a matter of weeks" by getting down on one knee.
"That was the struggle," Rachel explained, "the push and pull in my relationship with Peter, he was giving me just enough to stay around without taking a stance on his feelings. Leaving Dallas, I knew I needed a definitive outlook on what Peter wanted for himself and what he wanted with me."
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Rachel, Peter and the other two remaining bachelors, Bryan Abasolo and Eric Bigger, then traveled to Rioja, Spain for Rachel's round of overnight Fantasy Suite dates.
"Peter was a fitting man to bring on date to a winery because his feelings took their sweet time maturing," Rachel quipped.
"As much as I enjoyed the romantic moments I shared with Peter that day, hearing that he asked my mother for permission to just date was a sobering moment. I knew we needed to have a very serious conversation that night."
RELATED LINK: RACHEL LINDSAY: I DIDN'T HAVE SEX WITH ALL THREE BACHELORS IN 'THE BACHELORETTE' FANTASY SUITES
Rachel and Peter did, in fact, jump into a very difficult discussion that evening.
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Peter revealed he only wants to get engaged once because he feels an engagement is just as significant as a marriage, which is also a once-in-a-lifetime commitment. Rachel, on the other hand, felt it was important to get engaged at the end of The Bachelor process in order to cultivate a serious relationship in the real world.
Although Rachel and Peter seemed to respect and understand each other's opinions on the subject, neither individual was willing to budge.
"Even after I expressed I wasn't on this journey for anything less than a lifelong commitment, he didn't show any willingness to try and get there too," explained Rachel, who flat out told Peter she didn't want to leave The Bachelorette with just a boyfriend.
RELATED LINK: BRYAN ABASOLO'S EX-GIRLFRIEND GENAVIEVE BOUE DISHES ABOUT 'THE BACHELORETTE' BACHELOR
"He just told me he was falling in love with me a week ago but suddenly everything felt like it was falling apart around us. We were stuck and I was completely speechless."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski