Trisha Yearwood recently shared that her husband, Garth Brooks, was “flirting pretty hard” with her via text before they walked the red carpet of this year’s ACM Awards.

Yearwood joked with Brooks after an E! News reporter asked about their long-lasting marriage, saying, “We were texting this afternoon because we were not together until right before the red carpet because he was really busy, and you were flirting with me. I’m just saying you were flirting pretty hard.” The songstress added that their relationship is “always a first date, you know? It just really is.”

Brooks praised his wife, telling E! News, “Come on, you can see why I’m in love with her” when asked why he thinks their relationship has lasted so long. The couple got married in 2005, and she’s the stepmother to his three children, Taylor, August and Allie, from his marriage to Sandy Mahl.

Yearwood added that their marriage boils down to “friendship, laughter and mutual respect—and just love.” Dolly Parton recently joked to Fox News Digital that she would have to “be nice” to Brooks, her ACM Awards co-host, because Yearwood would be there. Parton continued, “I’ve known them for a long time; they’re both just wonderful. I don’t know if she’s singing or not, but I know she’s there, so I’ll have to be nice.”

During the show, she also joked with Brooks that she heard she was a “hall pass” for Yearwood and Brooks. After he called Parton the G.O.A.T, or greatest of all time, she made him blush by joking that the acronym stands for “Garth organized a threesome.” Brooks was red as he responded, “And I thought I couldn’t love you anymore.”

Yearwood openly discussed their marriage in 2021 with US Weekly, describing she and Brooks as “very much alphas.” She elaborated, “We’re both independent people who run our own ships. Sometimes, when two people are driving two big ships, it can be difficult.”

However, she says their marriage is currently “better than ever,” saying, “I was always the person in relationships when things got difficult, I was really happy to just bail. I was good at that. So in this situation, that’s not an option because this is the love of my life, so you sit down and talk it through, and that gets you better when you get to the other side.”

Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks have been married for 18 years. While every day might not be happy, it’s good that the couple can come together and appreciate each other.