Could this be a strong sign of what's to come on The Bachelor?
On Monday's hometown date episode, frontrunner Courtney Robertson had a big surprise in store for 29-year-old Ben Flajnik when bringing him home to meet her family.
After bonding with the families of Lindzi, Kacie and Nicki, Flajnik headed to Scottsdale, Ariz., to face her mom Sherry, dad Rick and sister Rachel.
Though Robertson was anxious to introduce her family to someone "who won't break my heart," her mom wasn't initially sold on the new romance. "I'd be very surprised if she is in love with him," Sherry sniped within minutes of meeting Flajnik. "Ben's a nice young man, very polite, but I'm not sold on it yet."
Following a brief heart-to-heart with her daughter, though, Sherry changed her tune and admitted that Flajnik just could be The One for Robertson. Confident in her parents' approval of her man, the 28-year-old model made a bold move during the couple's solo date in Scottsdale: She told him she loved him for the first time — during a mock wedding ceremony!
Taking Flajnik to a local park — a place where she's "always wanted to get married" — Robertson coaxed him into writing wedding vows for the fake "rustic" ceremony, complete with rings and a stand-in officiant.
VIDEO: Courtney coxes Ben into writing his own vows
"I'm looking for love. Real, passionate, can't-live-without love. When I look at you from across the room, I know that the key to your happiness is the key to mine. Ben, I want to love you and treat you right. Every day and every night," Robertson told him during their outdoor ceremony. "I hope you know I'm 100% ready for marriage and so happy I found you. I want you to know that I'm in love with you."
Initially stunned by Robertson's date plans, Flajnik later admitted he was touched by the gesture. "To put something like this together in such a romantic, intimate setting means so much to me," he told Bachelor host Chris Harrison. "Standing up there with Courtney felt pretty natural. She's an incredible woman and I feel like I could have written a whole lot more [for my vows], which is a good thing."
Agreed Robertson, who earned a rose along with Lindzi and Nicki when Flajnik sent Kacie home: "We are not Mr. and Mrs. Flajnik yet, but it feels pretty good to try it on for size."
