The first time Gretchen Dillon, 36, had sex with his husband Michael Dillon she was extremely upset, as she never wanted to date an older man.
At 27-years her senior, she wasn't sure what family and friends would think of the massive age gap and had no idea what to do.
But she quickly realised it was true love, and despite many of her friends trying to stop the wedding by claiming she would be a young widow, they soon tied the knot and are now proud parents to a beautiful baby boy.
However they nearly split up when it came to Michael - who is two years older than Gretchen's mum - popping the question in front of his family at their home in Washington DC in 2017 as he ignored her two proposal requests.
She said: “I told him I didn’t want a big show and I didn’t want a ring- he presented me with a literal diamond rock, not on a ring.
“ I was so upset that he thought he could propose to me on a technicality, I said no on principle in front of his family.
“I cried the entire next day, we had to talk a lot.
"He proposed to me the second time in December on a sunrise kayaking trip in Florida, so I accepted.”
So dating for three-and-a-half years, the pair got married in February 2018 despite concern from friends.
Gretchen said: "I did have a friend who tried to put off the wedding saying: 'You're going to be a widow.' I chose to cut her out of my life."
Gretchen had preferred to date women before she locked eyes on Michael in her local supermarket in October 2014.
They quickly found themselves bumping into each other around different areas of the store and hit it off.
Gretchen had just moved from Pennsylvania, US, to Syracuse, New York, and was thankful to find a friendly face in Michael, an insurance adjuster.
Michael offered Gretchen a free room and job to help run his Airbnb in January 2015 and before long their friendship developed into romance, and they started dating in May.
Gretchen doesn't let people's judgment hold her back despite people often thinking Michael is her dad and their son's grandad.
Gretchen, a market research analyst, who lives in Syracuse, New York, said: "People often mistake my husband for my dad - but we laugh it off.
"Their perceptions quickly change when they get to know Michael and I - they can see we just make sense.
"My friend tried to stop me marrying him because she kept saying I was going to be a widow as she's nearly 30 years older than me, but I loved him and didn't care.
“I was upset when Michael and I first slept together because in my head I didn’t think I wanted to be an older man. I took some time and came to terms with it, now I’m happier than ever.”
Michael’s friends also thought it was odd when he told them he was dating a woman who was 27 years younger than him but as soon as they met Gretchen, they could see the pair were a great match.
"My friends were equally shocked, but their worries went away when they could see how happy I was, " Gretchen said.
Gretchen and Michael were married for three years before falling pregnant in January 2021.
The couple welcomed their first child together in October 2021 and are loving being baby Shannon's parents.
"Michael couldn't wait to be a father again - he already has one child and another stepchild from a previous relationship - and I think his age makes him a better father," Gretchen said.
"He can't be as physically active, but he still loves monkeying around with little Shannon.
"But he's more like a grandad because he has so much more patience."
Michael said: “People think I’m Shannon’s grandad all the time but I just laugh it off.”
“The hardest thing about being an older dad is Shannon has just started playgroup and he brings home a lot of colds and bugs.
“The immune system of a 36-year-old is a whole lot better than the immune system of a 63-year-old.
"I constantly have these colds, it’s exhausting.
“The hardest physical aspect is getting up in the middle of the night but that’s becoming less and less and Shannon is a joy.”
Michael is still young at heart and the pair don't see the age gap as a defining factor of their relationship.
Gretchen said: "It feels like I'm the old one and Michael's the young one. I'm always telling him to turn the music down.
“I would tell any woman in my position that life is too short to be unhappy. If something feels right in your gut - go for it."
Gretchen isn't worried about becoming a widow and is just focusing on the now.
“Nobody knows when it’s their time to go,” she said.
Michael said: “I adore Gretchen and she takes good care of me.
“I’m a lot more stable and mature than I was in my thirties and that stability and maturity is comforting to Gretchen.
“There is nothing wrong in the bedroom department, Gretchen is just taking time to recover after giving birth.
“The age difference is tremendously helpful in the success of our relationship.”
"My wedding dress seamstress told me it would end badly because her sister's relationship with an older man did.
