Rex Linn says he would “sneak around doing this with his girlfriend Reba McEntire” while filming Happy’s Place. His next move left the entire set in awe.

The couple met in 1991 but their relationship didn’t turn romantic until they reconnected during the 2020 pandemic

Rex Linn and Reba McEntire.Credit : ABC via Getty

Rex Linn and Reba McEntire are Happy’s Place cutest couple!

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE at NBC’s Comedies celebration with PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly, Linn opened up about what it’s like to be on set with his longtime girlfriend.

His Happy’s Place costar, Melissa Peterman, was first to weigh in and shared how “adorable” it was to see the love birds share little moments together while filming the highly anticipated sitcom.

Reba McEntire Is Head Over Heels for Boyfriend Rex Linn: ‘I Love Him with All My Heart’ (Exclusive)

“Often times, we’re taking a five minute break or we’re having breakfast or lunch and we have a bar set,” she recalled. “You look over and they’re in a booth at the bar and it looks like they’re legitimately on a date at a restaurant just sitting together being so adorably cute.”

From left: Melissa Peterman, Reba McEntire and Rex Linn.Todd Williamson/NBC

Despite the sneaky moments, Peterman said, “They’re also really professional about it too.”

“I mean it’s very cute, but at the same time, the minute we get back to work, you’re back to work and you make her run lines all the time,” she added, pointing to Linn.

Reba McEntire Teases New Sitcom Will Feature Her Former Reba Costar Melissa Peterman and Boyfriend Rex Linn

“We’re running lines constantly,” Linn replied, blushing. “But every once in a while, I’ll sneak by for a quick kiss, just a peck on the cheek and keep on moving. It’s fun.”

Peterman joked “I do that with her too,” though she doesn’t get quite the “same reaction.”

Reba McEntire and Rex Linn.

McEntire and Linn have known each other since 1991 but their relationship didn’t become romantic until 2020. The two reconnected following the death of her mother and grew closer during quarantine. Soon, they began dating and have been together ever since.

Reba McEntire and Rex Linn’s Relationship Timeline

“He was in Los Angeles, and I was in Oklahoma because my Mama had just died,” McEntire recalled of how they became more than friends. “We didn’t get to see each other from March to June, but we’d talk over Zoom and FaceTime four to five times each day. We created a bond and an intimacy that was getting to know each other without being physical.”

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While McEntire said she “really wasn’t interested in finding love again” after her 2015 divorce from her ex-husband of 26 years, music manager Narvel Blackstock, she couldn’t be happier that Linn came into her life.

“He’s the love of my life,” she said. “We’re pretty much inseparable.”

In a stunning and somewhat cheeky revelation, actor Rex Linn has finally spilled the beans about his behind-the-scenes antics with country music icon and girlfriend Reba McEntire on the set of NBC’s new multi-cam comedy Happy’s Place. And what he confessed has not only charmed fans but reportedly left the entire set stunned.

During a recent interview promoting the upcoming sitcom, Rex Linn grinned mischievously as he admitted, “I used to sneak around doing this with Reba on set when nobody was watching.” The interviewer leaned in, and so did the world — what exactly had Linn and McEntire been up to?

“It started off as a little joke between takes,” he explained. “I’d leave little love notes in her script pages, under her coffee cup… sometimes in her wardrobe trailer. We’d pretend not to know who left them, but of course, we knew.”

But that wasn’t the shocking part.

Linn went on to reveal that one day, he decided to take the game to a whole new level. “There was this scene where Reba’s character had to sit down on a park bench and reflect on her late husband. Very emotional stuff,” Linn said. “I knew she’d be reading the prop newspaper on that bench beforehand, so I slipped something inside.”

What he slipped inside was a printed mock wedding announcement — with Reba’s and Rex’s names on it.

“I printed it in the exact font the props team used for the local paper in the show,” Linn laughed. “It said ‘Local Rancher Marries Café Owner in Surprise Sunset Ceremony – Guests Include Entire Happy’s Place Cast.’ I didn’t tell anyone.”

According to eyewitnesses on set, when Reba opened the paper, she paused, burst out laughing, and then teared up. “She was totally caught off guard. The entire crew saw her reaction and rushed over to find out what had happened,” said one of the assistant directors. “Then she held up the page and everyone just went wild. There were laughs, claps, and even a few tears.”

The romantic stunt didn’t just win the crew over—it set the tone for what insiders say is a magical chemistry between the couple that carries into their performances.

Reba later commented on the incident with her trademark Southern charm: “Only Rex would pull something like that. And only he could get away with it.”

The couple has been dating since 2020, and while engagement rumors have swirled for years, they’ve remained relatively private. But this bold move has reignited speculation among fans that the two might finally be thinking about making it official.

For now, viewers will have to settle for watching their undeniable chemistry unfold on screen when Happy’s Place premieres this fall. But one thing’s for sure: Rex Linn knows how to keep the romance alive — and the cameras rolling.

Stay tuned. There may be more love notes — or real wedding announcements — coming soon.