This season was no bed of roses for Katie Thurston, but tonight she finally got her happy ending.
On The Bachelorette's Aug. 9 season finale, the 30-year-old bank marketing manager got engaged to wildlife manager Blake Moynes. The pair first declared their "f--king love" for one another during their overnight date, which involved a paintball excursion, a cowboy tub and a conversation under the stars.
And, in an intimate moment in the finale, Blake made his love for Katie official by getting down on one knee after noting, "Since day one, it's been [a] connection and an understanding that seemed too good to be true. But I knew. I knew the moment that I first met you and you called me 'trouble.'"
For a second, we thought Blake was going to break up with Katie, as he said he couldn't give her what she came here for. Yet, that seemed to be a red herring as he then added, "Because you deserve a lot more than that. You deserve the world, and I'm excited to support you and be there for you. Every day moving forward."
The Bachelorette season 17 lead proved she felt similarly by offering him her final rose. "The night that you said that you loved me changed my life forever," she said before handing off the last boutonnière. "Because I knew in that moment, I wanted to love you for the rest of my life. You and only you. You have made me the happiest woman alive."
The couple's engagement came after she said goodbye to contestant Justin Glaze and one week after contestant Greg Grippo's explosive exit.
As Bachelor Nation may recall, Greg—who received the first impression rose—appeared frustrated when Katie didn't fully express her feelings for him after their hometown date. "I just don't understand how you don't know...that it's me and you at this point," he said in part. "I have never emptied my heart out to somebody like this before."
The following day, after Greg told Katie he planned to exit the show, she explained that he'd been her frontrunner the entire season but he left anyway. "All I do know is, right now, that I deserve more than what I've been given on your side," he told her. "I'm not happy here anymore. I'm not. I'm done here."
Prior to the episode, Katie took to her Instagram to share how excited she'll be when the season is complete. "Tonight is going to be the first episode I actually watch with my friends, which is kinda weird because tonight's is probably a pretty intense one to do with friends," she told her followers. "But pretty much the only one I can because next week is the finale. So I got s--t to do around that time. But it's going to be interesting. Can't wait for it to be over."
While Katie's Bachelorette season may be over, her journey with Blake is just beginning.
While we wait for more updates on the couple's romance, be sure to check out the premiere of Bachelor in Paradise on Aug. 16. Following Chris Harrison's departure from the franchise, the show is set to be hosted by celebs David Spade, Lance Bass, Lil Jon and Tituss Burgess.
Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, who emceed Katie's Bachelorette season, will be back to host Michelle Young's season in the fall.