Yahoo Lifestyle 
‘Love at first sight’ despite 36-year-age gap
Samantha Crosby, 24, first met 60-year-old Maxie Mills when he was performing a Fleetwood Mac cover on his guitar at a local bar.
She was instantly attracted and says after approaching him it was ‘love at first sight’.
“He was very good looking and I loved hearing him play the guitar,” Samantha, from Washington, US, said.
“Once we started talking, I realised that he liked all the same outdoorsy things that I do and he even makes his own kayaks out of wood.
While the situation felt strange for the both of them at first, the couple learned to realise that it gave them things they never had in a relationship before.
“His age freaked me out a little bit in the beginning, especially when I found out that his kids are 35 and 40,” she said.
As someone who has been divorced three times, Maxie was drawn to how nice the cosmetology student is.
However, he was a bit discouraged by her young age and did not think about her in a romantic way at first.
“She was so nice to me. I didn’t even think of her in a romantic sense at first. I just saw her as someone who was really kind,” Maxie said.
“The age difference scared the hell out of me, but I couldn’t just throw away an opportunity to be with someone this great.”
Despite harsh criticism from her friends and parents, Samantha knew that it was rare for her to find a stable, kind and mature man who also shares her love for outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking.
Now that they’ve spent six months together, she says it is the best relationship she’s ever had.
“My friends used to laugh at me and tell me that I was dating a grandpa,” she said. “My mum was really uncomfortable with it at first, but now everyone is used to him.
“It hurt my feelings a lot. In my opinion, he’s the best out of everyone I’ve dated, but I couldn’t show anyone that because they were all focusing on his age.
“He is stable both financially and emotionally and he treats me well.”
While she makes him happy, Maxie has avoided introducing Samantha to most of his friends because of the fear of judgement.
“She has not meshed with all of my friends yet. I’m hopeful that time will make that easier,” he said.
“I don’t have this 100 percent figured out yet, but the lack of pressure from her certainly helps.”
However, one difficulty that has arisen because her goal of getting married and having children in the future, is not in Maxie’s plans.
“I worry about it sometimes. Part of me is okay with it, but part of me is not,” he admitted.
“She is 24 and acts it. I am 60 and act it. We allow each other to act our own age.”
With additional reporting by Caters News.
Got a story tip? Send it to tips@yahoo7.com.au
Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.
