Phillips, 31, chose McKee, a 30-year-old equities researcher, over southern charmer Matthew Hickl—the favored candidate among viewers—last February, in the second installment of The Bachelorette. Within weeks of their televised engagement, McKee quit his job in New York City to move into a Marina del Rey, Calif., apartment with Phillips. But after reality sank in, "they realized they weren't the right ones for each other," says Phillips's pal T.J. McHugh. "It happened gradually. Along the way they realized they're [just] great friends." Phillips, a model from Oregon, dreamt of a small wedding, but McKee may have had hesitations moving forward. "I don't conform to the idea of what a perfect life would be, getting married and having two kids," he told PEOPLE last February. "I don't know if that's how I see things."
For the moment Phillips and McKee, who remain on good terms and still talk on the phone, are taking time to let things settle down. McKee flew to Brazil to be with friends and family shortly after the split, and Phillips is concentrating on finding a career in cooking. "It's hard to go through a breakup," says McHugh, "but they're dealing with it. They do love each other very much."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
