The pilot had her final Hometown date on Monday, before the 'Men Tell All' special.
Rachel Recchia may have found the one! Before Monday's "Men Tell All" special could get underway, The Bachelorette had leftover business from last week's Hometowns, as Rachel still had one man's family to meet.
Thus, at the start of the episode, Rachel traveled to Salem, Massachusetts, to meet Aven's parents. First, the pair spent the day enjoying the town, though Rachel was nervous about the night ahead given her less-than-ideal meeting with Tino's family.
While Aven tried to assure her all would go well, Rachel was less than convinced, especially after hearing that his parents, who are no longer together, had not been in the same room together in six or seven years.
Aven tried to bring levity to the day by taking Rachel to a magic shop, but when the Love Witch's spell ended with her knocking over a table and sending a lit candle to the floor, Rachel worried it was a sign of trouble ahead.
She needn't have been concerned, though. Despite Aven's parents asking some tough questions, Rachel departed the meeting with a smile on her face.
She got there by assuring A.J., Aven's dad, that she and his son "have so much in common" and have thought about their lives in the real world, before telling him, "When I get engaged, that’s it for me. And he said that for himself as well."
Rachel then told Aven's mom, Dawn, that she feels "so strongly" for the sales executive, as Aven expressed similar sentiments to his dad.
"I am getting to that point. I am," Aven told his dad of proposing. "If I get the validation from Rachel... I feel like that’s enough validation to trust that connection."
"I like her. I hope it works out," A.J. responded. "She’s great. She’s welcome to the family."
For Aven, the night "couldn't have gone any better."
"Both my parents 100 percent approved of her as a person and someone who’s right for me," Aven told the cameras. "... Rachel’s someone I want to spend the rest of my life with."
Before Rachel could leave, Aven made sure to tell her as much.
"I have zero doubts," he told the pilot. "... This night meant the world to me. My feelings are getting really, really strong. I am falling in love with you."
"You have no idea what hearing you say this means... I’m so happy right now," Rachel gushed, before elaborating on her feelings in a confessional.
"I do feel like I am falling in love with Aven," she said. "I feel really confident this could be it. This could be my happy ending."
When the show returned to the "Men Tell All" studio, host Jesse Palmer revealed that Rachel's love story with Aven will continue into next week, as will her journey with both Tino and Zach. Likewise, Gabby Windey opted to bring all of her men -- Jason, Johnny and Erich -- into next week.
Though the rose ceremony where that all went down didn't air on TV, fans who want to bask in the love can watch it play out on abc.com.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC. Keep up with the historic season by following along with ET's coverage of the series.
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