It’s been decades since Vince Gill and Amy Grant went through what she calls “those long years” – the time between when they first met in 1993 and when they became a couple in 1999 – but Grant says the Thinking about her “still makes me sweat.”

The reason is obvious: From the beginning, the chemistry between the two artists was undeniable – not only for each other, but also for everyone around them – and yet both were in their first marriage at the time.

“It wasn’t something we orchestrated,” Grant, 64, tells PEOPLE in a joint interview with the couple, who recently released their holiday album When I think about Christmas before their annual Christmas residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. “It was as if life was so organized that our paths kept crossing.”

Fortunately, the stresses of that time are a thing of the past for Grant and Gill, who have now been happily married for almost a quarter of a century. Still, they continue to gain wisdom and perspective on their journey that could inspire anyone seeking a second chance.

“Life is full of mysteries of all kinds,” says Grant. “And I’m not saying that any of us did everything wrong or right, but what we’ve experienced is just so much grace and forgiveness for each other and for our first families and our second families, and it’s possible to reconcile. “. It is possible to repair fences. Maybe not in the context of original relationships, but it is possible to navigate life with respect.”

The two first met when Gill, already a major country star, invited Grant, herself a pioneer of Christian pop music, to appear as a guest on his Christmas TV special.

“I just remember the smile,” said Gill, 67. “That’s all I can remember. It was a dazzling smile that just threw me off. And nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

Grant recalls that she was nervous before the rehearsal, and her first memory of Gill was his kindness: “I was walking into the rehearsal room and Vince came over, put his arm around me and said, ‘Hey, raise your forehead ‘It will be.’ be okay.’ I remember saying, ‘Wow, thanks for saying that.'”

Musically it was right, and after the show was recorded, professional gatherings seemed a given. Gill returned Grant’s favor and made a guest appearance at her Christmas show in Nashville that year.

Soon after, Gill famously felt a surge of inspiration from what had initially fascinated him about Grant: “I was writing songs with a buddy and he said, ‘What do you want to write about today?’ I said, ‘Let’s write a song about Amy Grant’s smile.’ He said, ‘Do you even know her?’ I said, ‘Not very well, but she sure has a great smile.'”

The romantic ballad “Whenever You Come Around”, written by him and Pete Wasner, eventually became one of Gill’s biggest hits and a signature song. Prior to its release, Gill shared it with Grant during a songwriting session of her own, and she recalls, “All I could think about was ‘Goll, lucky girl.'” It would be years before she learned that she was Gill’s muse .

Grant also invited Gill to duet with her on “House of Love”, the title track of her 1994 album. Even though Grant wasn’t involved in writing the lyrics, they now seem eerily prescient: “Sometimes life is funny / You think you’re in your darkest hour / When the lights come on in the house of love.”

In fact, both marriages were rocky at this point. Grant had married Christian artist Gary Chapman in 1982 and they had three young children, a son and two daughters. Gill married country artist Janis Oliver in 1980 and they had a daughter. The chemistry between Grant and Gill didn’t go unnoticed by their respective spouses.

“I think the energy was palpable for all of us,” says Grant, “and we tried to be as respectful as possible. You can’t know. You can’t miss something. And years later I said to Janis, ‘You could have been any number of ways, and you were so nice to me.’ That was a tough stretch.”

Gill says: “The painful thing was that most people assumed the worst of us, and that wasn’t fair and it was wrong.” You couldn’t go back and undo what people said and thought… Unfortunately, it’s inherent Somehow it’s human nature to assume the worst. It couldn’t have been further from the truth.”

Gill and Oliver eventually divorced in 1997. Grant remembers how Chapman heard about it in the newspaper: “Gary put it down – that was the first time any of us had heard of it – and said, ‘Oh my God, someone’s finally done it.’ Wall’ because it was hard for everyone.”

Grant and Chapman underwent marriage counseling but announced their separation in December 1998 and their divorce was finalized the following June. Four months later, Grant confirmed in an interview that she and Gill were dating.

Eventually, says Gill, they reached a point where “the most beautiful truth” of their connection “was allowed to find itself.”

The couple married in March 2000, surrounded by friends and family – “the people,” says Gill, “who really shaped my whole life. Face after face, face after face were all people standing up for you and taking care of you.”

The demanding work of reuniting the family quickly began. But a year later, the birth of their daughter Corrina brought a bonus that helped the couple overcome many of the hurdles of stepparenting.

“It connected us all in a wonderful way,” says Gill.

Both Grant and Gill say they benefited from the stage of life they were in when they got married. “One thing about getting married at 40 and 43,” says Grant, “is that you never assume anything. I say, ‘You’ve lived a whole life, just like me.’ You go into everything (and say), ‘Hey, this is how I did it.’ How did you do it?’ It would be great if people did this at 21, but at forty it’s an easier lesson.”

Gill adds: “We’ve just given each other the grace to be who we’ve always been and then kind of let it unfold… Sometimes we can kind of disagree on how things should go, (but) I” I would rather be kind than be right, and I think she would be too, because that’s what makes her tick. It’s a general kindness I’ve never seen before.”

The two have also found other ways to deal with their differences. Grant, for example, is an adventurer who enjoys traveling. Gill is a homebody who enjoys going to the music studio or the golf course. They make it work, Grant says, because “one thing we’ve given each other in our marriage is freedom,” all knowing that “you’re the person I want to go back to.”

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Just three months shy of their 25th wedding anniversary, the couple are now enjoying what Grant calls their “golden years” – a time that “feels magical.” Her life is filled with friends and family, children and grandchildren, and the satisfaction of professional successes that continue to come. But, Grant says, much of their joy comes from just being together, often on simple, quiet evenings at their home in Nashville.

Grant says Gill loves to tease her: “He’ll say all the time, ‘Would you marry me now?'”

Grant doesn’t even think about the question. “Yes,” she says, and the answer almost sounds like a sigh. But what really says it all is the smile.

For more from Amy Grant and Vince Gill, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.