Clayton Echard wasn’t ready to put his relationship with Susie Evans to rest after he eliminated her on the March 7 episode of The Bachelor. Susie was sent home after she told Clayton that she couldn’t continue their relationship knowing that he slept with two other women — Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia — and told them both that he loved them. However, after introducing both Gabby and Rachel to his family, Clayton still couldn’t get Susie out of his mind.
“I’m lost right now. I’m confused,” Clayton said. “With Gabby and Rachel, I couldn’t make up my mind if I had to today about which of the two I’d move forward with. I love Gabby and Rachel, but when Susie left, my whole life got flipped upside down. How am I supposed to just let that go? I’m questioning everything. I’ve realized that through meeting my family, it didn’t stop me thinking about Susie. I don’t know what to do right now.”
Clayton brought his concerns to his parents. “I realized where my heart is at,” Clayton explained. “My heart’s here with these women and my heart is now beyond these walls with Susie. What I had with Susie was very, very special. It’s not to discredit what I had with Rachel or Gabby, but it’s just a little more special with Susie.”
Clayton’s parents weren’t convinced. They insisted that the chapter with Susie was over and that Clayton shouldn’t just hang onto the “one that got away.” They also made sure to remind him that Susie walked away from him and said he’d be “grasping at straws” if he tried to get her back. However, Clayton was certain that he wanted to “follow [his] heart” and try again with Susie.
“Maybe my connection isn’t as strong with Susie as I think,” he admitted. “Maybe there’s a chance. There could be. You told me to follow my heart and if it goes and gets heartbroken in the process, so be it. I know my heart is telling me to go do this and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. All I need is a chance.” Host Jesse Palmer told Clayton that Susie was still in Iceland, and the rest will play out during part two of the finale on March 15.
Susie fears about Clayton began before her fantasy suite date. As she watched Gabby and Rachel go on their dates, she couldn’t help but wonder what was happening behind closed doors. When Clayton told her he loved her, which she had already said to him on her hometown date, Susie flat-out asked him if he was intimate with any of the other women. Clayton confessed that he had slept with BOTH Gabby and Rachel.
Susie admitted that she didn’t want to give Clayton an ultimatum about the fantasy suite before the dates. However, she told him that, if he really loved her, she expected him to know her well enough to know that she wouldn’t be okay with him falling in love and sleeping with another woman. Clayton was frustrated with Susie for not expressing these feelings earlier and said he would’ve gone about things differently if he knew, as he was “the most in love” with Susie.
It was too little too late, though, and Susie said she wasn’t able to continue on. Clayton got angry and slammed Susie for wanting to leave instead of talking through the situation and trying to fight for their relationship. When Susie saw how mad Clayton was, she apologized, but he didn’t want to hear it and sent her home on the spot.