HGTV's Erin & Ben Napier's Heartwarming Love Story Will Make You Melt

Ben Napier and Erin Napier

Erin Napier opened up about meeting her now-husband Ben Napier for the first time and their love story is the definition of a "meet cute."

Alongside two throwback photos of the Home Town co-hosts, Erin, 38, detailed the moment 18 years ago that the two initially ran into each other, noting that the day started like any other.

"On December 7, 2004, I woke up in my dorm and went to class like any other Tuesday. In a yearbook meeting, it had been decided by the staff that we would write 10 articles for the book on the most interesting people on campus. The first choice was unanimously Ben Napier, and as design editor, I said, 'I can be there for the photoshoot if I need to be. It’s no big deal,'" she wrote.

Erin was "thrilled by the idea of spending an afternoon with him," admitting that Ben, now 40, was her "biggest crush since Ryan Dunn in the 10th grade, whether he paid me any attention or not." She even admitted to purposefully having dinner with her roommate "in the union sometimes if we passed by and happened to see his truck parked there."

Erin's caption continued as she gushed over the person she's loved for nearly two decades: "He was such a fun person to watch, to be around. I wanted so badly to be his friend. He was popular, president or member of nearly every organization on campus, but he wasn’t exclusive. He made anyone he spoke to feel like they were special, he sat with the person eating alone. I ate alone a lot in elementary school, trying my best with tears in my eyes to focus on eating instead of the lonesome feeling and wishing someone would pull up the chair beside me. Because of that, I loved him before I even knew him."

It must've been love at first sight for both of them, as just days after working on the project together, the two decided they wanted to get married.

"Ben went to the yearbook room that morning to find out about the photoshoot and the article. When he walked in the room, 2 other girls were already talking to him, laughing, flirting," she recalled. "He was wearing a blue t-shirt over a white long-sleeve t-shirt and old worn out khaki shorts with red white and blue Adidas sneakers. I walked by and he reached out for my arm—for a hug (!!!!), and I, ever coolly, gave him a one-arm side hug. We were only acquaintances who had spoken 4 times total, but he said 'two arms, please!' He wrapped me in a hug."

"For the first time I noticed how very big he was—6 feet 6 inches and 260 pounds. I had never stood near him before. I felt as small as a bird. I could smell the laundry detergent he used, his cologne, and I melted," she confessed. "In 6 days, we would decide we wanted to get married."

The two married in 2008, and 10 years later, they welcomed their first of two daughters: Helen, born in 2018, followed by their second, Mae, in 2021.

Next: Erin Napier Shows Off Husband Ben's Physique With Sweaty Gym Pic