Clayton Echard Shares Never-Before-Seen Photos From ‘Secret Meetups’ With Susie Evans

ABC Susie Evans and Clayton Echard pose at 'The Bachelor' finale.

“The Bachelor” lovebirds Clayton Echard and Susie Evans faced significant challenges in keeping their relationship under wraps as his season aired. Accurate spoilers regarding Clayton’s final pick were sparse for much of the season, meaning fans really did not know what went down until the finale. As a result, viewers received some big surprises as the last dates and “After the Final Rose” special aired. Now, he’s sharing some sweet photos from the time he spent with Susie while hiding their love from everybody else.

Here’s what you need to know:

Clayton Had Fun Lots of Fun With Susie in Secret

On May 22, Clayton took to Instagram to share some cute snapshots “The Bachelor” fans never saw before. “Some lost files from all those secret meetups before it all went public!” he captioned the post. He uploaded four photos that apparently were all taken during secret hideaway visits.

One photo showed Clayton shirtless as he posed for a snap that Susie likely took. Two of the other pictures appeared to be selfies Clayton and Susie took as they hung out at the house. The final photo featured “The Bachelor” couple on a double-wide lounge chair outdoors. They had cut cucumbers on their eyes and wore blue bathrobes as they soaked up some sun. Susie had one arm wrapped around Clayton’s upper arm and his hand rested on her thigh.

“The Bachelor” fans adored the snapshots. “Love that you guys found your way back to each other. The heart knows what it wants,” one fan commented. “Hurry up and propose,” someone else teased. As Us Weekly noted, Clayton did not propose to Susie during his finale for “The Bachelor.” He explained, “I had the ring with me,” but “I was very, very certain she was going to say no to me. I kind of anticipated that.” Prior to that, Susie had broken things off with Clayton because he had been intimate with both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia during the overnight fantasy suite dates. Clayton and Susie reunited after filming wrapped, but they have not yet gotten engaged.

The Happy Couple Visits Gave Clayton and Susie a Fresh Start

As “The Bachelor” fans know, production arranges for the couples to meet up for long weekends every couple of weeks or so while the relationship is hidden. Former “The Bachelorette” Kaitlyn Bristowe told ET Online these “Happy Couple” visits provide a few days of “serious quality time” between the lead and their final rose recipient. Given how things ended for Clayton and Susie during filming, with the two not even leaving Iceland as a couple, these quiet visits gave “The Bachelor” stars a much-needed opportunity. “We needed to take a step back, and when we restarted our relationship, we set down a new foundation,” Susie told People after they could talk about their romance. He noted he’s “happier than I’ve ever been.”

Will this “Bachelor” pair beat the odds and eventually make it down the aisle? They appear to have a lot of support, as one fan commented, “I do believe in the end you will have a happier ever after” on Clayton’s Instagram post. These cute shots Clayton posted seem to suggest those low-key visits allowed Clayton and Susie to set the groundwork for a long, successful relationship together.