Aven Jones had a graceful exit after ending up the runner-up on The Bachelorette Season 19.
Part one of The Bachelorette Season 19 finale saw Rachel Recchia split from two of her final three, Zach Shallcross and Aven Jones.
Rachel shed tears as she split from Aven, as she felt he was perfect on paper but was disheartened after learning that he wasn’t as ready to propose as she initially thought.
Aven and Rachel reunited during the finale and wished each other well, appearing to have no bad blood between them after the breakup.
After his elimination, Aven further confirmed that there’s no bad blood in a heartfelt post.
The Bachelor Nation star also admitted that watching his final days on The Bachelorette back was difficult.
Aven Jones ‘forever thankful’ for Rachel Recchia
Aven Jones took to Instagram and shared a sweet post with photos from his time with Rachel on The Bachelorette.
The post opened with a photo of Aven placing an arm around Rachel on one of their dates and then included pictures of Rachel and Aven smiling in formal attire and dancing as Aven charmingly kissed Rachel’s hand.
The final slide featured a video of Aven and Rachel kissing as an abundance of colorful fireworks shot into the sky.
In his caption, Aven tagged Rachel at the top and admitted, “These last couple of days have been very difficult, preparing to watch our final moments together.”
Despite the emotions stirred up from their rocky final days, Aven still expressed that he would always be thankful for Rachel and shared the qualities he appreciated about her.
Aven noted Rachel’s grace and beauty, willingness to open her heart, and ability to make him feel special.
Aven declared that through all the moments of his journey, he learned from Rachel and their relationship and feels he’ll grow into a better person now.
It seems Aven is at peace and doesn’t regret how things ended, as he shared in his caption that he genuinely believes everything happens for a reason.
Aven concluded his post, writing, “I am just grateful I was able to be apart of your life. And I hope that life brings you nothing but eternal happiness and love.”
Who are Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s final two men?
With The Bachelorette Season 19 coming to a close, co-leads Rachel and Gabby only have one man left standing.
Rachel chose to keep Tino Franco over Aven, although trailers suggest that Rachel and Tino butt heads in the finale.
There is also the issue of family, as Rachel is convinced Tino’s family hates her, and his parents have been making disparaging comments about the show on social media.
Gabby Windey’s final man is Erich Schwer, who has been at the center of quite a bit of controversy.
Erich is now in hot water with Gabby, too, upon revealing he prefers to date Gabby after the show rather than propose.
Time will tell if Gabby and Rachel leave their season engaged, dating, or returning to single life.
The Bachelorette airs Tuesday, September 20, at 8/7c on ABC.