Taylor Frankie Paul is giving her romance with The Bachelorette contestant Doug Mason a second chance.
A source exclusively tells Us Weekly that Taylor, 31, and Doug, 28, are “seeing each other” again and are “trying to make it work” after her season of the reality dating show was pulled by ABC.
“They were hanging out recently and want to see if they can get back together and be a couple,” the insider adds.
Doug was one of more than 20 potential suitors vying for Taylor’s heart on season 22 of The Bachelorette. Before the season was set to premiere in March, news broke that Taylor and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute in February. The altercation led to season 5 of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives being put on pause.
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“There’s more to the context to everything, and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor told Us last month. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position.”
The mother of three — who shares son Ever, 2, with Dakota, 33, and daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul — denied that the incident reflected her as a parent.
“And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well,” Taylor explained. “So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see, because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
A rep for Dakota insisted in a statement at the time that the reality star’s “No. 1 priority here is protecting Ever,” adding that Dakota “has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor” as coparents.
“He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away,” the rep continued. “He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”
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Dakota and Taylor each filed paperwork for protective orders amid the fallout from their dispute. Dakota ultimately earned temporary custody of Ever, with Taylor being granted supervised visits until their next court hearing on Thursday, April 30.
While fans haven’t seen Taylor’s Bachelorette journey yet, Doug stood out among his fellow contestants — and he publicly showed his support for Taylor after the season was pulled off the air.
“In light of everything that has happened, I am just sending prayers to Taylor because that was her moment and her moment was blocked,” he said in an Instagram video in March. “All we can do right now is just be hopeful, and I am headed off to run to watch the sunrise.”
He concluded: “I hope you guys have a great day, and let’s stay positive and show nothing but support for people in need.”
Authorities have since confirmed that Taylor would not be charged for the February incident with Dakota. As for whether her Bachelorette season will eventually air, Disney exec Rob Mills recently told Variety, “Everything with that is one day at a time.
