We’re nearly at the finish line, Bachelor nation.
Now that Ben Higgins has narrowed the finalists down to two, the sweet suitor is a few weeks away from naming his future wife. But as we saw on Monday’s episode, his road to the finale has been anything but smooth.
With a proposal on his mind, Ben invites the remaining three women, Caila, Lauren B. and Jojo, to Jamaica for a romantic getaway. And while sunset dinners are on the agenda, venturing into the fantasy suite with his potential bride-to-be is as well.
“This is the week of the overnight dates,” Ben begins, ahead of his day with Caila. “My biggest concern with Caila is that she isn’t able to express herself or share her true feelings.”
While their date gets off to an awkward start, as they sail along a stream in silence, Caila eventually pours her heart out to Ben during cocktail hour by the sea.
“Every other relationship I’ve been in, there’s been doubts in my mind, but every time I’m with you and I think about it, it just feels right,” she shares. “Part of me has wanted me to tell you something for a long time: I’m in love with you.”
After Ben pulls Caila in for a passionate embrace, the two decide to spend the night in the fantasy suite. And while a giddy Caila can’t stop saying “I love you,” Ben fails to utter the same sentiments, especially with Lauren B. on his mind.
“I had an amazing overnight date with Caila, but tonight is my overnight with Lauren,” he gushes. “Lauren has this genuine joy and authenticity to her. Every moment I’m around her, my feelings for her continue to grow.”
Following their afternoon freeing sea turtles on the beach, Lauren and Ben lay all the cards on the table before taking the next step in their relationship.
“I’ve felt this way for a long time, but I am completely in love with you,” Lauren reveals in the fantasy suite. “You really are the man of my dreams.”
But unlike Caila’s one-sided revelation, Ben offers up a more appropriate response.
“I’ve known I’ve been in love with you for a while as well,” Ben says before closing the blinds of their romantic hotel room for the rest of the night.
Though Ben feels confident in his relationship with Lauren after their evening together, his date with Jojo rattles him after admitting to the Dallas darling that he’s in love with her too.
“My heart is leading me in two different directions. I’m scared because I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Ben says ahead of his moonlit dinner with Jojo. “I’m not going to think about the decisions that have to come in the future. Tonight is about Jojo.”
Following the disastrous meet-and-greet with her family, Jojo and Ben manage to clear the air ahead of their dip in the hot tub with a side of bubbly.
But with both Lauren and Jojo consuming every space in Ben’s heart, he realizes that he’ll have to say goodbye to Caila at the rose ceremony. But as fate would have it, Caila can hardly stand to stay away from Ben and surprises him at his Jamaican bungalow.
Unfortunately for Caila, the surprise only leads to an early dismissal.
“I am in love with two women here, but I just couldn’t say it back to you and I don’t know why,” Ben tells Caila. “I knew this was going to get hard in the end and it’s really hard to say goodbye to you.”
After Ben escorts Caila back to her car, the heartbroken brunette breaks down in the back seat while Ben clutches his head in his hands on the beach.
“My heart is in two different places. The whole purpose of this is to find one true love, and right now I have two true loves,” Ben says.
Despite telling Caila goodbye, Ben moves ahead with the rose ceremony and gifts Jojo and Lauren the two remaining stems.
“I could picture both Jojo and Lauren as my future wife. I am in love with these two women,” he concludes. “Nothing about this is going to be easy. I am in deep trouble.”
Why yes, Ben, yes you are.