In August, Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott got engaged. They’ve actually been together for four years, and they seem to get along well enough even if most of Zooey’s fans are like “ugh, girl, what are you doing.” I’ve tried and failed to put my finger on exactly what annoys me about these two as a couple – I generally have no strong opinions of the Scott Bros (the “Property Brothers”) other than they’re aggressively wholesome dorks. Zooey is offbeat, quirky, an indie girl who found mainstream success. This will be his second marriage and her third. She seems to be “going along” with what he wants too – he proposed somewhere important to him, he selected an ugly engagement ring and now they’re on the cover of People Magazine, the bible of wholesome celebrity content.

Jonathan Scott is speaking candidly about a time when his fiancée Zooey Deschanel thought their relationship was potentially over. The Property Brothers host, 45, and the New Girl alum, 43 — who got engaged in August — tell PEOPLE in this week’s cover story about their relationship, and how they’ve communicated with each other every day, except for one instance when Scott was partaking in a hiking trip.

“We talked or texted every single day, I think, and still have every day since we’ve met, except for the [time] I went up on a packed trip up into the middle of the Rocky Mountains, where there was no cell service,” Scott tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She thought I was just blowing her off because I didn’t respond for, what, three days or something?” he says of Deschanel, who chimes in with, “Uh-huh.”

Scott says, however, that his soon-to-be bride received “the very first text I sent when I came out of the mountains,” and details: “I had recorded a video of a song she sent me and I showed the Rockies and everything. And then we’ve literally talked every day since.”

Scott and Deschanel met while filming an episode of Carpool Karaoke — during which they sang a mash-up of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (famously performed by Deschanel in Elf) and Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” and their first date was at an escape room, one of Scott’s favorite activities. The HGTV star later said “I love you” for the first time while taking in a show at L.A.’s Magic Castle, a members-only club for illusionists, to which Scott belongs.

Both Deschanel and Scott have been married previously, and she has two children: Elsie, 8, and Charlie, 6, with her ex-husband, producer Jacob Pechenik. Scott has happily proclaimed himself a “bonus dad,” explaining, “They have even more people to love them.”

“Our family is very deeply rooted and very blended,” Deschanel adds.

During their chat with PEOPLE at their new home in Los Angeles, which marked their first interview since their surprise engagement, Scott and Deschanel continued to speak about how they are made for each other. “Our personalities are so compatible. It’s just that we’re from different worlds,” Deschanel says. “We identify as nerds, we’ll have you know.”

[From People]

Yeah, I can’t shake the vibe that he’s the one who wants to be very public about this relationship and he’s using her to build his Property Bros brand and beyond. It also feels like she’s not entirely sold on all of this – she’s like “you want to do a People cover story, really?” It’s just so mainstream. Maybe this is who she is now. Like, I’m shocked that he told People Mag where he said “I love you” to Zooey for the first time (AT A MAGIC SHOW). What is even going on with this couple??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram and cover courtesy of People.