“I divorced my ex – and then married his dad!”
Erica Quiggle turned to her husband’s stepdad for marriage advice – and soon found herself falling in love…
When Erica Quiggle realised her seven-year marriage to husband Justin was floundering, she turned to her father-in-law for advice. But their friendship soon blossomed into love, despite their 29-year age gap.
Now, Erica, 31, and Jeff,
60, are happily married and have a daughter together. And remarkably, Justin has been very accepting, and all three remain friends.
“The last few years have been a roller coaster, but we wouldn’t trade it for the world,” says Erica. “Jeff comforted me when I needed it. Our story may sound scandalous, but he made me realise that true love does exist. The age difference doesn’t bother us either – we call Jeff the young soul, while I’m the old soul!”
BONDING
Erica, a full-time mum, started dating Justin when she was 19, with the pair bonding over their love of video games.
“Justin was so kind,” she says. “We loved gaming and listening to Coldplay. I was already friends with his sister too and knew their stepdad Jeff, but I didn’t think of him in any romantic way.”
Erica and Justin, now 36, married in September 2010, but she began to have doubts on her honeymoon.
“I realised there wasn’t a spark,” she says. “I loved Justin, but questioned whether I was in love with him. I began to see him as more of a friend.”
In 2011 the couple had a son, who’s now 10, but Justin worked long hours in a factory and Erica felt lonely.
She says, “We became more like flatmates than husband and wife. Between his job and parenting, we were tired, so we’d argue. By 2015, we were both unhappy and had tearful conversations, knowing things weren’t right. I started to realise I didn’t want that for the rest of my life.”
Erica turned to Justin’s stepdad, Jeff, for support. The pair often saw each other at classic car shows, which they both loved.
She says, “Jeff organised the events. At first, I asked his advice on practical things like finances, but as we became friends I confided in him about my relationship problems. He was kind and didn’t judge – he’d helped raise Justin, so he understood us and knew him better than anyone.”
ATTRACTION
But as they grew closer, Erica developed feelings for Jeff.
She says, “I found him inspiring. I loved hearing stories from his travels, and when I admitted I struggled with confidence, he gave me
reassuring advice. I realised I was attracted to him, too – he had gorgeous hazel eyes and I loved his tattoos. But when I told him he was handsome, he laughed and said, ‘You’re crazy, I’m an old man!’ I was 26 and he was 55, but I knew my feelings were genuine.”
Finally, in 2016, Erica ended her marriage and moved in with her mother. Meanwhile, Jeff was having marital problems of his own, and he split from Justin’s mum.
❛ I WAS 26 AND HE WAS 55, BUT I KNEW MY FEELINGS WERE GENUINE ❜
CONTROVERSIAL
Erica says, “I knew Jeff had been struggling – the marriage had faded. I felt sadness and relief when my marriage ended. Justin and I had so many memories together and I wanted our son to be happy.”
Despite knowing a romance with Jeff would be controversial, Erica couldn’t stop thinking about him.
She says, “I knew people would be hurt, but I was head over heels. One day, not long after I split from Justin, as we chatted, I leant over and kissed Jeff and I told him how I felt. At first, he was wary, because he didn’t want to hurt his family, but later he messaged to say he couldn’t stop thinking about me. We knew it was bad timing, but we couldn’t ignore our feelings for one another. I may have married his son, but we were the real deal.”
The couple tentatively began a relationship and when Erica told Justin, he was remarkably understanding.
She says, “I was in tears as I admitted I’d fallen in love with Jeff. I begged him not to hate me, but he was so respectful. He said, ‘You can’t help who you love.’”
Sadly though, Justin’s sister was furious and cut all ties with the pair. Likewise, Jeff’s ex was wasn’t accepting, and neither were others in their small town in Kentucky, USA.
HAPPINESS
Erica says, “Some people wrongly thought Jeff had taken advantage of me. But I never questioned whether our relationship was worth the fallout. He was my everything and I’d never felt happiness like it.”
In late 2017, Erica and Jeff set up home and Erica fell pregnant with their baby. Their daughter was born in 2018.
She says, “We were thrilled to get pregnant so quickly, we felt extra lucky. Jeff’s an amazing dad – he may be 60, but he’s so fit you’d think he was much younger. He’s a great stepdad to my son too, who doesn’t remember life any other way.”
That year the couple married in a small ceremony at their house, and while Justin – who has also remarried – didn’t attend, there are no hard feelings. The pair share custody of their son, even celebrating his birthday parties together.
“Justin’s very forgiving,” admits Erica. “A few years ago, I would never have imagined I’d end up married to my 60-yearold father in law, but we’re a great team. It’s been tough, but I’d go through that 100 times over to be with him.
He’s my soulmate.”
Justin says, “It’s been a few years now since this happened, and I’ve moved on. Me and Erica have a kid together, and we think about him above everything else. We have a pretty good relationship.”