Age Is Just A Number
Chapter 20
Sunday Dinner

Daryl
"Daryl" Beth hissed.

"He has t' know" I told her.

"You nearly killed him" Hershel stated.

"Like I said, I didn't mean f'r it t' go that far. I was just gonna rough him up a lil but then he was talkin' bout Beth and… I wasn't gonna stand f'r that" I replied.

"Daddy I know you probably won't approve of my relationship with Daryl but please give him a chance because he really is a good man. All he wants is for me to be the best I can be and he loves me for me… he treats me really well and I'm really happy with him, he makes me happy. I love him and I want to have a future with him" Beth told Hershel.

"Let me speak to Daryl for a minute" Hershel told her.

She looked worried but nodded in agreement, she got up from the sofa and went to the bottom of the stairs. She looked back at us for a moment before going up the stairs. Hershel and I listened as she went into one of the rooms and closed the door.

"It's true what she said. I want nothin' but the best f'r her" I stated.

"You know I'm very protective of my daughter. I don't want her ending up 20 years old, married with a bunch of kids. I don't want her to be a housewife, that might be ok for some people but not for Beth. She has a lot of potential and she has a very bright future ahead of her. I don't want anything holding her back or forcing her to drop her education. Her education is very important to both me and her. I need you to understand that" He told me.

"I do and like I said, I want nothin' but the best f'r her. I'll always support her in whatever she chooses to do and I won't hold her back from anythin'. I've told her multiple times I will take this at whatever speed she wants, Beth is in control of this… not me" I replied.

"Good" He stated.

"I know I'm older an I'm probably not the man that yer thought your daughter would end up with but I do love her, very much. I would do anythin' f'r her and I want to just make her happy. Please give me that chance t' prove t' yer how much I love her and care f'r her" I pleaded.

"What can you provide my daughter with?" He asked.

"I won't lie… I'm not rich an my family don't have the best reputation round 'ere but I can promise yer that I will do everythin' in my power t' give Beth whatever it is she wants. I will work my ass off to make sure she don't want f'r anythin'. I wanna give her the best life I possibly can" I told him "I'm a bartender but I work hard and I pay my bills, I'm in no financial problems, I got my house and my car and my bike…"

"Daryl I don't care what sort of money you got in the bank, that's not what I meant. What I mean is… can you provide her with love, shelter, comfort, care and happiness?" He asked.

"Yes I can" I answered.

"I'll be honest with you son, I am not over the moon that you and Beth are together. I would've preferred her to graduate school and finish college before she thought about getting a serious boyfriend or anything. What I can see is how much you do care for her, I know she obviously cares about you so I am willing to give this a chance but I am begging you… please do not get married anytime soon or bring any children into this world. Let her finish college and get her career set up" He pleaded with me.

"As much as Beth and I love each other, we're not thinkin' bout marriage right now. If that is a road we decide t' down, it won't be f'r years t' come. I don't have any plans f'r any of that" I told him.

"Good" He replied.

Beth
My daddy left Daryl's house just over an hour a go and all in all it went a lot better then I thought it would, I didn't need to worry like I did before. Although my daddy admitted that he wasn't best pleased that I was dating such an older man and that I had kept it from him but he was willing to give Daryl a chance. I don't think he is expecting our relationship to last but I know Daryl and I will last. We're a strong couple and everything we've been through already has just proved how strong we really are. My daddy told me to stay here with Daryl tonight to give both Maggie and Shaun a chance to calm down but he invited Daryl and I over tomorrow to have Sunday dinner together, I never thought he would invite Daryl over for dinner but I'm glad he did. My family will get to see just how good Daryl is for me and they will see how much he loves me and they will get to know the real him.

Daryl is nervous to go to dinner tomorrow but I assured him that I would be ok and everything would work out. If my daddy was giving him this chance to come to a family dinner then he must have seen something in Daryl, my daddy doesn't just invite anyone to family dinner. I'm hoping that this will make things better with everyone and then we can all move on with our lives. I am worried that the dinner will just cause more problems because although daddy has decided to give Daryl a chance I know Maggie and Shaun won't and they will make dinner as awkward and horrible for him as possible.

"I want yer t' know that I'm gonna stick up for myself" He stated "If yer brother or sister disrespects you or me then I'll tell 'em what I think of 'em" He added.

"I know you will" I replied.

"I don't like the way they talk t' yer" He said.

"Don't worry about it. Tomorrow is going to be fine, my daddy will put them in their place if they do anything. My daddy says that Sunday dinner is an important meal because it signifies the end of the week and the end of any trouble that week… he invited you to call a truce with everyone" I told him.

"As long as they keep their mouths shut, I will too" He said.

"Why don't we order a pizza and get an early night, it's been an exciting day" I suggested and he just nodded in agreement.

Daryl and I are on our way to the farm to get this Sunday dinner over and done with. Daryl's been really nervous about the whole thing and this morning when I got up he wasn't in bed, he was looking through his wardrobe looking for something 'suitable' to wear. I told it didn't matter what he wore but he insisted he wanted to make a good impression on my daddy and he wanted to prove to Maggie he wasn't some old dirty redneck. I don't think Daryl realises how much he cares about people's opinions.

I think Daryl is worried that Shaun and Maggie won't take to him like my daddy did yesterday and it's going to change my opinion of him or my daddy is gonna change his mind and say Daryl is no good. What I think is going to happen is Maggie and Shaun will give Daryl some hassle and they will make their little snide comments but my daddy will put his foot down and he will put them in their place. He doesn't take to kindly to singling people out or being mean to someone, especially if you don't really know them or their story. That's why my daddy is giving Daryl a chance. He wants to get to know him, who he really is and not just what he hears from other people.

"I'm gonna need a stiff drink after this" Daryl commented as we approached the farm.

"Daryl don't worry. It's gonna be-"

"Yer keep saying it's gonna be fine but I don't know if yer tryna convince me or yerself" He stated.

He drove up the driveway and stopped outside the house. I leaned over and kissed him before getting out the car. He followed and as we stepped onto the porch the front door opened. My dad stood there waiting for us, I greeted him with a cuddle and then he shook Daryl's hand before we went inside. He took us through to the dining room where Maggie was just putting the last of the plates out on the table. She threw Daryl a disgusted look before going into the kitchen.

"Take a seat" Daddy instructed.

Daddy sat at the head of the table, Daryl sat down next to him and I sat next to Daryl. The seat momma used to sit in stays vacant, Maggie and Shaun will sit opposite us and probably throw daggers at Daryl all night.

"You have a beautiful home" Daryl told my daddy.

"Ah, thank you. My late wife Annette did all the work… she wouldn't let me get involved with the decorating and such. She used to tell me I had no taste… she wasn't wrong" Daddy replied.

"Beth told me bout your wife, her mother. I'm real sorry for your loss" Daryl said.

"Daryl's mother died when he was young. He's been helping me with getting over the loss and helping me remember all the good times without focusing on the bad" I told him.

"I'm very sorry to hear that" Daddy said to him. Maggie came in followed by Shaun, they put the last of the food down on the table and took their seats. Shaun sat opposite Daryl and Maggie sat opposite me "Now before we start eating I just wanna make something very clear" Daddy started "Daryl is a guest in this house and I will not have any of my guests insulted or made to feel uncomfortable. He's Beth's boyfriend and we make an effort to get to know him" He told Maggie and Shaun.

"You're happy for your 17 year old daughter to be shacking up with a man in his thirties?" Shaun questioned.

"I'm happy for my 17 year old daughter to be loved and respected" Daddy replied sternly.

"Daddy-"

"Maggie I don't wanna hear another word about it" Daddy told her.

"I didn't come 'ere t' cause trouble. I came 'ere cause yer dad was kind enough t' invite me an I knew how much it meant t' Beth if I came. Do yer think I would be 'ere listening t' all this if I didn't care bout her? Believe me if I didn't feel the way I feel bout Beth then I wouldn't be sittin' 'ere right now" Daryl told both of them.

"You don't have to explain yourself" I said to Daryl.

"Yeah I do. They don't get it" He replied to me before turning back to Maggie and Shaun "Who are you t' talk down t' me? Yer know nothin' of what I've been through and what my past is. Yer don't know how I feel bout Beth an yer don't seem t' care t' find out. I've been there f'r Beth more then the two of you" He told them.

Daryl stood from his chair and I sighed… this wasn't going to end well. Daryl was really wound up now. Why couldn't Maggie and Shaun keep their moves shut?

"You ain't been there f'r her Maggie. Yer know Beth would tell me about times she would call and text yer whilst you were away at college an you'd ignore her. Yer would go days without replyin' t' her. Yer obviously didn't care bout her too much then. Yer were only worried bout yerself" He said "When Jimmy was blackmailin' her, you two wasn't there f'r her. When Beth told you Maggie, yer told her she got it wrong and Jimmy was so good f'r her… I fixed it f'r her because once again you two couldn't be bothered t'" He explained to the both of them.

I watched as Daryl's fist clenched at his side for a moment before he put both his hands in his pockets. He was really mad at them and I know there is no point telling him to calm down "Thank you f'r inviting me 'ere but it obviously isn't gonna work with me and them in the same place at the same time" Daryl said to my daddy, they shook hands and Daryl started to leave.

"I hate both of you. You always ruin things" I said to Maggie and Shaun before getting up from my own chair and following Daryl outside. He was leaning against the car looking pissed "Daryl I am so sorry" I told him as I approached him.

"S'not yer fault" He stated.

"Yes it is!" I exclaimed "This whole thing is my fault! I messed everything up from the beginning and since then your life has been nothing but drama and I can never apologise enough for it. I didn't mean to drag you into all of this and make your life difficult. I want to make things better, I really do but I don't know how" I explained to him.

"Jus' bein' with me makes it better" He replied. He wrapped his arms around me and I wrapped mine around him, I breathed in his scent and felt myself starting to calm down "We'll just be together. I don't care what anyone else thinks. We'll prove everyone wrong, we'll make it an those that ever doubted us will eat their words. Who cares if we're different ages? after all… age is just a number" He said and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

Well, that's all folks!
Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed.
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For those who do love this story, I have some very exciting news for you.
I am doing a sequel to this story!
I don't have a title for it yet but I have started writing it.

There is no publish date as of yet because I have only written a couple of chapters,
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