HGTV’s Home Town stars, Erin and Ben Napier have a long history together. But she says she still recalls the smell of him from 20 years ago. Erin Napier describes a special moment in their past that has stuck with her through the years.
Memories To Last A Lifetime
HGTV Home Town fans can look forward to seeing Ben and Erin Napier return to screens. They will be back on December 29 with all new episodes. But while they wait, Erin shared a sweet tribute to her now husband, Ben Napier, that made a lasting impression on her 20 years ago.
She shares that he made her heart skip a beat. Then, she even details how he smelled as they hit a major milestone. Erin Napier walks fans through memory lane with a beautiful story of young love.
Erin Napier Tells The Story Of Their Love
On Erin Napier’s Instagram page, she added the story of when she met Ben in Mississippi while in college. First, she captions: “December 8, 2004. As of yesterday, I’ve been with @scotsman.co most of my life. That’s a crazy milestone. #loveweek.” Then, she lets fans know about their love history.
She kicks it off saying, “On the day we met, I had been on some dates with a guy I worked with at the hospital pharmacy — let’s call him Charlie. And I was dating him because he looked a little bit like Ben Napier, this guy I had a crush on.” Additionally, she recalls they were at Charlie’s house watching Mystic River. However, she was distracted by the texts she was getting from Ben. Notably, she had “finally” officially met him earlier in the day.
She adds, “He was offering to see me the next day so he could check the brakes on my Volkswagen because I’d told him that afternoon, a car guy, they’d been making a weird sound.” But Erin Napier clarifies as a side note, “I did not care about my brakes at all, reader.” She dreamily wished for a connection. She says, “I wanted him to lean against my car in the dorm parking lot and tell me about himself while he easily ignored the other girls who would pass by and whisper ‘What is he doing with her?’”
Erin Napier Recalls Smell Of Ben 20 Years Ago
Then, Erin Napier remembers making plans to check the brakes. She recounts, “We agreed to do that after the photo shoot of him for the yearbook, and the morning of December 8, 2004, my friend Kristen told me she’d been texting him all night too.” Sadly, she was deflated, “And I felt so washed out — I guess he was a flirt who made every girl feel this way, that I had imagined being special to him for one perfect day.” Her mind ran through the idea of it not being as special as she hoped.
But the story continues. While watching him take photos with a puppy in a lake, Erin says he “looked academic and sophisticated.” Likewise, she even compared him to “Robert Goulet.” Then, she remembers, “Afterward, in the yearbook room while we were editing photos, he came and sat beside me soaking wet from the lake in the hard molded plastic and metal chair at my desk.” Her butterflies were dancing, she says, “My heart filled. At one point once we were alone, while I was interviewing him, he leaned in closer to me — he smelled so nice — and I noticed how exactly straight his teeth were.”
Steal A Kiss
Furthermore, Erin Napier tells about Ben confidently stealing her breath away. She says, “My heart raced now because he tilted his head as if he would kiss me and I wanted him so badly.” Completely enticing her inward, she adds, “He came a half inch closer and was answering the question I had asked him quietly and I knew this was it and then he stopped.” Ben knew he had her.
She adds, “He grinned and said ‘You were gonna let me kiss you.’” Of course, she couldn’t give in that easily. Erin rejects the idea, saying, “I denied it obviously because you can’t fall in love and kiss someone 12 hours after meeting them can you?” However, he was persistent in his pursuit. She added, “He leaned back in his chair and we finished the interview and he said ‘I’m going to change clothes then let’s go for a drive.’”
But Erin and Ben Napier have many more memories now. She came across their engagement photos and shared with fans.
Fans Love Their Love
After Erin Napier described her memory of falling for Ben, several fans sent their thoughts.
- “Can we do a Hallmark movie of this love story, please❤️❤️❤️.”
- “Erin, we are going to need you to continue the story!!”
- Someone else replies, “It’s all in her first book 🥰🥰🥰 and honestly, I still get chills every time she tells the story on IG✨💕.”
- “Love your story. Magical.”
- “The most inspirational couple ever ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️.”