The 28-year-old pilot tells ET he considered quitting 'The Bachelor' to be with Brown.
It wasn't over between Peter Weber and Hannah Brown.
The exes came face-to-face several times on Monday night's season premiere of The Bachelor, with their second encounter leading to a tearful confession that they still had feelings for each other. As Weber told ET's Lauren Zima on Tuesday morning, however, he didn't just have feelings for Brown during that conversation -- he was full-on in love with her... and thought about leaving The Bachelor to be with her.
"Yes, [I was in love with her]," he admitted. "I'm not going to lie."
"I thought I was in a really good spot," Weber explained. "I would not have done this, I swear to god, if I thought I wasn't ready to move on."
On Monday's premiere, Brown broke down in tears over making a mistake in ending their romance on The Bachelorette, while Weber asked her to join his season. Fans will find out how that conversation ends on next week's episode.
"That wasn't even supposed to happen, that whole discussion," Weber revealed, but noted he was glad it did. Brown was simply supposed to make an appearance to introduce Weber's group date, and "send Peter on his way," Chris Harrison -- who guest co-hosted Tuesday's ET -- shared.
"The only thing I knew about that date was that she was hosting [the date]... then I heard she was having a tough time, I went to go check on her, and that whole discussion transpired," Weber said. "You saw what happened, but that was never planned. That was all real."
Weber placed third on Brown's season of The Bachelorette after she sent him home following their windmill fantasy suite date. They later saw each other at After the Final Rose, where Brown said she felt a "spark" between them -- but it was runner-up Tyler Cameron whom she asked out on her finale following her failed engagement to Jed Wyatt. Weber questioned Brown on Monday's episode about why she didn't ask him out instead.
"I was obviously hurt when [she asked out Cameron], but I did my best to try to move on and put that behind me," the Westlake Village, California, native told ET.
"If she would have [asked me out], I would have said yes and I probably would not have been the Bachelor," he revealed. His emotional conversation with Brown had him thinking about leaving the show just days into filming.
"I definitely considered [quitting the show] in that moment. I know that sounds absolutely crazy insane, but... I told everyone from the very beginning I was going to be raw, be myself and do what I had to do in that moment," Weber said.
The 28-year-old said he'll "never know" if he and Brown would have been together now, had she asked him out instead of Cameron. "That didn't happen and you guys will see what happens in the next episode with us with that conversation and where our relationship maybe goes for the rest of the season," he said. "You can't live in the past, it is what it is and I have no hard feelings for her. I know she was always following her heart and doing the best she could, and I'm OK with that."
"What you saw there was feelings just kind of resurfacing and it was real and I was, I felt obviously horrible doing that to the women that were there on the date just out of respect for them, but I had to be true to myself and I was and everything I said I meant," he said.
As for whether Weber would be supportive of Brown trying to find love again as the Bachelorette, he said of course -- unless, of course, they end up together.
"So, let's pretend that yeah we're actually done. Yeah, I would want [her to be the Bachelorette]. She's an amazing girl, and unfortunately, everyone saw what happened with her relationship and that's unfortunate for everyone involved. She deserves it more than anyone," he declared.
"All options are open," Harrison noted of whether Brown being the Bachelorette again is a real possibility. "We'll see what Bachelor Nation thinks."
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more in the video below.
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