27yr woman, 46yr man, 5 year "relationship" now turning into more possibly-

[WeldedFlower]

We started seeing each other when I was 22 and he was 41. I just turned 27 and he is on the cusp of 46. We have been through a lot with one another, never monogomous but always there for each other through everything. We say I love you as friends and these past 6 months we have put in more work than being boyfriend and girlfriend would take to be together. I was scared of commitment due to my ex commiting suicide, and when we met he just got out of a 5 yr engagement (aside from the fact, duh, I was 22. No way in hell was anything real going to come then). I finally admitted I don't want anyone else and am in love with him, and he's finally admitting he thinks it could work and can't picture his life without me.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a huge age gap. We are in very different parts of our lives, but we have said I love you (as friends) to one another for a long time now. I told him I want this month to not see him and to work on myself undistracted for myself and have a lot going on(we haven't seen one another save for once for 2 months now due to me beginning to put my foot down, not fully admitting I wanted a real relationship but saying no more seeing other people regularaly and for him to take as much time as he wants to think, that I don't want to force him into anything) and when we had the final talk of truth we agreed when we see each other we will go about this like "normal" people do. Dates, not friends with benefits, no funny business unless its real. We finally saw one another last week after the "big talk" and it's obvious he misses me and part of him really wants too, I've never seen him look at me that way and show so much restraint from grabbing me and (well you know). Advice on how not to mess this up please. I just wrote a long story explaining in detail but I thought instead I'd try starting with the point and elaborating if inquiries were made.

 

I've never wrote on a forum, and I am hoping to get some solid outsider advice.

 

Constructive criticism is welcome but I should have prerequsited this with the forums I have read on topics like this prior, well, people can say some poor things and clearly are reflecting judgementaly and one mindedly on their own bad experiences. Additionally, I welcome my fellow females advice but I very much am interested what similar aged men have to say.

 

This has never been a typical younger older relationship although we do have some cliches in our background. Thank you for your time.