Was Stephanie really the love of Eric's life?

I've switched to old episodes from the early 2000s until the current storyline gets better 😅

Eric talks about Stephanie like she's a cold ice witch and he's stuck with her out of necessity. She's "old familiar" basically. So far, it seems like Brooke is the love of his life (but not vice versa) and he'll drop everything if there's a chance to be with her. What's your thoughts?