‘Days of Our Lives’: Inside Steve & Kayla’s Enduring Romance With Stephen Nichols & Mary Beth Evans (VIDEO)

Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) and Steven Earl “Patch” Johnson (Stephen Nichols) had an unusual start to their love story. In 1986, he was hired to terrorize her, but they formed a bond that blossomed into romance, and the duo quickly became one of Days of Our Lives’ signature supercouples. Their early tales were packed with dramatic punch — he was framed for murder, she reluctantly married his brother Jack (Matthew Ashford), lost her hearing and voice, and was later imprisoned — but their devotion to each other never wavered.

After working together for nearly 40 years, Steve and Kayla’s portrayers appreciate their onscreen connection. “For us, unlike today’s coupledoms, we were put together from day one, and it’s always been about us,” Evans told Swooon. “There were different things that broke us up or whatever, but they always loved each other. They never didn’t love each other. That’s not how it is at all today. I feel like we’re one of the last holdouts in that, but I love it, and I feel so lucky.”