Charity Lawson‘s road to the final rose is coming to an end — but there’s still no clear front-runner heading into hometown dates.
Charity, 27, has narrowed down her suitors to Aaron B., Dotun, Xavier and Joey, all of whom will give her VIP treatment in their respective hometowns on Monday, July 31. In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip of The Bachelorette, Xavier sweeps Charity off her feet in his native Ohio.
“Welcome to Cleveland!” Xavier, 27, exclaims as he reunites with Charity, teasing that he was “something crazy” in store for them. He stays tight-lipped about their plans despite Charity’s eager questions.
Xavier brings Charity to join him for one of his favorite activities: knitting. “I learned knitting, you know, to ease the mind,” he tells the camera. “I’m definitely excited to share this part of me with Charity.”
As the couple sits in on a crafting class, Xavier coaches his date on the proper technique. “He’s so patient. I love it,” one fellow knitting enthusiast remarks.
Charity smiles as another onlooker says, “I think it’s so cute that you guys get to, like, hold hands.”
The pair share laughs with the group, leaving Charity feeling like the date was a success. “I’m seeing a wholesome side of Xavier today and that makes my heart swirl,” she gushes in a confessional.
Xavier’s strong connection with Charity nearly hit a roadblock earlier this season when she wondered whether Xavier was similar to her unfaithful ex.
Charity brought up her concerns to the biomedical scientist during their first one-on-one date. “I will literally do anything for my partner,” Xavier reassured her in the July 17 episode, opening up about his mother’s battle with multiple sclerosis inspired him to pursue a PhD. “Anything she needs, [my dad’s] there at the drop of a hat. And so, I want to do that same thing for my wife, the mother of my children.”
Xavier’s vulnerability moved Charity to tears. “For him to still find a purpose in all of this, it makes me look at him completely different,” she told the cameras.
One week after their emotional dinner, Xavier revealed he was a little “scared” about the idea of marriage — leaving Charity with even more questions about their relationship.
“I know that I want to get engaged, I know I want to get married. … I’m running, like, every single moment between us and trying to gain any sense of clarity,” he said during the cast’s visit to New Orleans. “I don’t know what that thing is that’s gonna make me be able to fall in love. It’s just gonna happen.”
Charity ultimately decided to take one more chance with Xavier. “I can’t deny how I feel about him. … But time will only tell if my decision is the right decision,” she said before the hometown dates.
The Bachelorette season 20 airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
