Heather Locklear Says Lorenzo Lamas Romance Came at Perfect Time

Heather Locklear and Lorenzo Lamas are loving life together ... even if they jokingly tell us otherwise.

We caught the couple at LAX on Friday and asked how things were going ... prompting Heather to crack, "Oh, it's horrible" ... while Lorenzo piled on, calling their relationship "a nightmare."

Yeah ... safe to say they were being sarcastic.

The two were all smiles as they told us their families are getting along great -- something we previously reported after Heather met Lorenzo's kids and grandkids earlier this year.

Lorenzo also shared his daughter recently got engaged.

And despite knowing each other for roughly 40 years, Heather says Lorenzo wasn't exactly the one who got away -- she thinks they got together at exactly the right time.

Heather explains all the time they spent apart mattered ... because otherwise they wouldn't have had their children or the experiences that ultimately brought them to where they are now.

There was apparently always a little reminder of Lorenzo hanging around ... as Heather explains in our clip.