A couple with a 16-year-age gap have told how they are constantly mistaken for father and daughter. But Ashley Miller and husband Jim are proving their haters wrong after celebrating almost 13 years together.
Ashley, 34, met Jim, now 51, at the bar he owned after her best friend convinced her to come and ‘eye up the hot bartender’ she fancied. The pair were instantly attracted to each other, despite Ashley only being 21 at the time.
The couple started dating when Jim plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date in October 2009 – a year after they met. After falling for each other, the couple found out they were expecting their first child together in June 2012 and welcomed their daughter, Sunny, nine, in February 2013.
The pair married in November 2013 in Las Vegas, US, and had their son, Lukas, four, in November 2017. Jim is often mistaken for the children’s grandad and Ashley’s dad but the family laugh it off.
Ashely, a part time waitress, said: “It was a bit weird when people thought Jim was my dad, but I have always looked younger. Now we have a family together people think he is their grandad but it’s never malicious and we just laugh it off.
“We couldn’t deny we were attracted to each other as soon as we met. We just laugh together every day. We’re on the same level of maturity so it works perfectly.”
Jim, a tree surgeon, said: I thought Ashley was beautiful from the first time I saw her. I think she’s even more beautiful now honestly.
"Our relationship has been challenging but rewarding, especially after we had children. I don’t mind when people mistake me for her dad or our kids grandpa." He added: "My family, meaning Ashley and the kids, are my everything."
Ashely, from Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, first met Jim in September 2008 when she was convinced to go over to his bar by a friend. She said: “I was working at another bar across town and my friend wanted me to come over to Jim’s which was a bit of a dive bar.
“I wasn’t keen on that type of place, but she insisted that I meet this hot guy. Jim caught my eye as soon as I met him, but we stayed friends for a while.”
Finally, after the pair had grown closer, Jim asked Ashely out on a date in October 2009. “We barely spent a day apart since then,” she said.
“I moved into his home after six months, but I got my own place and moved back out after a few months because we were arguing and just not ready to be living together. My parents were really happy for me and didn’t care about the age gap as I dated some bad guys in the past and they could see Jim was a genuine nice man who would treat their daughter right.”
After four years of dating the pair were ecstatic to find out they were expecting a daughter together and moved back with each other. “Jim proposed to me in July 2012, and we welcomed Sunny in February 2013,” Ashely said.
The couple decided to have a wedding in Las Vegas, US, and tied the knot in November 2013. “It’s been smooth sailing since then,” Ashely said. “We have a great relationship and Jim is such a handsome man.”
The pair extended their family when they welcomed their son together, Lukas, four, in November 2017. “Jim is a great dad, and he is very hands on,” Ashley said.
“He’s healthy and we joke that I’ll be the one to go first not him as I have already had more health problems. I’m the stricter one and he is more fun.
“When were out and about with our family people will say ‘is that their grandad?’ or I still get ‘is he your dad?’ “But we laugh it off and hopefully as we both get older the age difference won’t seem as significant.
“People are normally very embarrassed when they found out he is my husband and the children’s father. Age is just a number and we’ve proved our love can last.”
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