Elaine Hynes, 50, shares her true life story:
There was a knock at the door and when I answered it, my neighbour’s 18-year-old son Jamie was standing there.
“Are you making stew and dumplings?” he asked.
“I am,” I replied. “Want some?”
He nodded eagerly and as I dished up, we chatted.
Jamie worked as a tattoo artist and told me about what he’d been working on that day.
I’d moved on to the same street as him and his mum after my marriage ended.
I was 42 and my daughter had just moved out to live with her boyfriend so it was nice to have someone to chat to.
As the months passed, he was over more and more.
Sometimes we’d end up on the lounge watching TV for hours.
One time we got through a bottle of cider and we ended up kissing.
It felt so right, but the next morning I panicked.
What if he’s horrified?
Over the next couple of days we exchanged a few awkward texts.
But when he next turned up at my door, he looked serious.
“Elaine, I think I love you,” he blurted, blushing deeply.
I drew him into an embrace. By then I knew I felt the same.
Jamie was mature beyond his years.
For us, the age gap didn’t matter.
He was mature beyond his years and everyone was always telling me I was young for my age.
Our families weren’t happy at first, but soon came around when they saw how happy we were.
We got some funny looks in the street, too.
One day, Jamie ordered a sandwich from a deli and the woman behind the counter said,
“And what does your mum want?
With a mischievous grin on his face, he turned to me and said: “What you want, Mum?”
We both burst out laughing.
The woman thought we were mad!
When we’d been together for six months, he moved in, and a couple of years on, my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild.
I was thrilled to bits and loved being around a baby again.
Maybe too much because four years after Jamie and I became a couple, I suddenly became very broody.
I thought it might pass but it just got stronger even though I knew I couldn’t have any more kids – my parents had persuaded me to have a sterilisation years earlier.
I’d told Jamie early on and he’d said he wasn’t bothered about having kids.
I hadn’t wanted any more either – until now.
Sometimes people thought I was his mother!
I started chatting to people in an online fertility group and someone mentioned surrogacy.
Jamie wasn’t keen at first, but I talked him round and we started looking for a potential surrogate.
It took a while, but finally we found a woman called Jessica.
She told us she loved being a mum and wanted to give that gift to someone else.
We agreed to pay her $8800 towards her expenses.
It was a lot of money for us, but if it worked, it would be worth every cent.
Jessica took a test to work out when she’d be ovulating and we drove the 370km to her house.
I felt nervous the first time I met her, but she was really lovely and keen to help.
We had lunch then, while she and I had a cup of tea, Jamie went off to do his bit.
Then Jessica took the syringe of sperm and went off to carry out the first insemination.
Jamie and I stayed overnight in a hotel, and went back the next day for a second try.
Then we returned home to wait – and hope.
A couple of weeks later, I got a message from Jessica.
She also sent a photo of a pregnancy test… with a blue line on it!
My heart leapt.
“Oh wow, I’m gonna be a dad!” Jamie said.
A scan at 12 weeks revealed it was a boy.
As the pregnancy progressed, Jessica and I were in constant contact.
She’d send photos of her growing bump and videos of the midwife listening to the heartbeat.
Just before her due date, we booked into a hotel near her house so we’d be ready.
Next day she phoned.
“Guess what?” she exclaimed. “I’m in labour!”
Jessica helped us complete our family.
We raced to hospital.
Jamie sat anxiously in the waiting room while I helped out in the delivery suite.
I was a bundle of nerves and excitement.
A few hours later, our baby boy Tye’s head appeared and minutes later when he was fully delivered, the midwife gave him straight to me.
I felt an instant bond.
“He’s so perfect,” I wept, squeezing Jessica’s hand. “Thank you.”
Then Jamie came in.
Seeing him cradling our son in his arms, I cried happy tears.
When we took him home, it felt amazing.
It had been a long, emotional journey but now we could be a family.
It’d had been more than 25 years since I had a baby to care for, but it was second nature.
Only this time I’m older and wiser.
As a first-time dad Jamie does all the worrying for us, but he dotes on Tye.
Despite people telling us that our relationship couldn’t last, here we are still together after seven years with a beautiful baby son.
Jessica gave us the most precious gift and made our family complete.
