A happy ending! Jared Haibon, Ashley Iaconetti and Caila Quinn had a tumultuous love triangle on Bachelor in Paradise season 3. Although Jared left the sunny beaches of Puerto Vallarta with Caila, he found his way back to Ashley three years later. But does Caila approve?
The New York-based blogger, 27, reacted to her former costars’ relationship via social media and expressed her support. “Happy everything worked out in the end,” she tweeted on Tuesday, May 22. “Congrats #TheStoryofUs.”
Ashley, 30, and Jared, 29, made headlines earlier on Tuesday after revealing they are officially dating and in love following a three-year rocky on-again, off-again romance.
The newly minted couple, who met on Bachelor in Paradise season 2 in 2015, have always been open about their flirty friendship but have never pursued an exclusive relationship. Although they casually dated during the second season of The Bachelor spinoff, they left deciding to stay friends.
The twosome returned to the show for season 3 in 2016, but Jared left Ashley feeling confused and hurt when he exclusively vied for Caila’s affections. In fact, Jared sent Bachelor Nation into a frenzy when he left with Caila, explaining that he couldn’t comfortably date her in Paradise with Ashley’s prying eyes.
Ashley didn’t shy away from voicing her frustration with Caila throughout the season. The podcast host claimed that Caila told her she’d stay away from Jared before filming started. “[She] ruined everything and she’s a backstabbing whore of a friend,” Ashley said in an on-camera interview at the time.
Despite their tumultuous time in Mexico, Jared and Ashely had unfinished business. “I never felt like it was really over between us after Paradise,” Jared told his now-girlfriend during Tuesday’s episode of The Story of Us. “I’m not gonna lie and say that I was in love with Ashley during BIP. It was a slow build for me.”
The turning point for Jared? Seeing the journalist in her natural element at an event in her hometown of Virginia. “That was such different experience being with someone in the show and in real life,” he continued. “You were just so down to earth and easy-going, ambitious … sexy. I wanted you that night.”
Although the duo dragged out their feelings for a year and a half after season 3, Jared knew he needed to be with Ashley after seeing her find happiness with Canadion Kevin Wendt on Bachelor Winter Games. “It was sad,” he explained. “Sometimes I need a kick in the ass. That was a big kick in the ass.”
Jared finally admitted his feelings for Ashley during a vacation to St. Lucia with pals Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert. Although Ashley continued dating Kevin after Jared’s revelation, she eventually called things off after realizing her heart truly belonged to the Rhode Island native.
