Emily Maynard found that an adorable guy came between her relationship with single dad Tony on Monday's Bachelorette, but this time, it wasn't one of her potential suitors: It was Tony's 5-year-old son.
No stranger to showing his emotions when it comes to missing his son, Taylor, contestant Tony — who gifted Maynard with a glass slipper on the premiere to prove he "believed in fairytales" — put it all on the line Monday when considering leaving The Bachelorette to be with his boy.
Admitting to fellow single dad Doug that quitting the ABC series "crossed [his] mind" — especially after Monday's group date where the guys bonded with local kids at a Charlotte, N.C. park — Tony was torn about continuing his search for love. "I miss my son, but I could also meet my future wife," he admitted. "Being away from him is the ultimate sacrifice. What do you tell him: Dad wants to find love? He's not going to understand that."
When Maynard had the chance to chat with a shaken Tony, the bachelor was encouraged when Maynard — a single mom to daughter Ricki, 6 — sympathized with his struggle. Little did he know, Maynard's feelings only extended so far. "It makes me think of my time with Brad [Womack]. I missed Ricki every day and if Brad knew in a second that I wasn't his girl, I would have wanted him to send me home that minute," Maynard, 26, told Tony, setting him up for disappointment.
"I think you're such a great guy and I've loved getting to know you, but seeing you hurt and knowing that heartbreak, I would never be able to forgive myself if I kept you longer and if it didn't work out. I would never want you to say 'she took me away from my son,'" Maynard said, sending Tony packing during the second part of his group date.
Tony wasn't the only guy who showed his true colors to Maynard when it came to the topic of fatherhood. Speaking to Kalon and Alessandro before the night's rose ceremony, Maynard was put off when Kalon cut their conversation about having kids short and insulted her. "I love it when you talk, but I wish you'd let me finish," the luxury brand consultant snapped when Maynard inquired about if he'd be willing to welcome her and her daughter into his life.
But it was Alessandro who really threw Maynard for a loop. In a bizarre conversation, Alessandro told Maynard that parenting her daughter would be a "compromise." "I want someone who doesn't see my daughter as a 'compromise,' but says 'how did I get so lucky?' Maynard fumed as she quickly showed Alessandro the door. "It was so disrespectful. It's scary for me. Who's here for the wrong reasons?"
Heading home along with Tony and Alessandro on Monday's show: 26-year-old Party MC Stevie. "It sucks. It hurts. I saw something in her that was great, but she obviously saw more in those guys than she saw in me," he reasoned.
