By Rebecca Drew
THIS MAN and his wife decided to enter into a three-way relationship after falling in love with a woman AT THE GYM – and although he is notably shorter than BOTH partners he says ‘great things come in SMALL PACKAGES.’
Engineering expeditor and CrossFit gym owner, Mary Barillas (32) from Kennewick, Washington, USA, met her business partner husband and entrepreneur, Leo (34) when she was 13 at high school. The pair started dating and got married when Mary turned 17.
At the time, Leo was in the Marine Corps and was based all over the world in Iraq, Sri Lanka, Korea and North Carolina. In 2005, Mary moved to California to be with Leo before the pair moved back to Washington in 2010 when Leo left the Marines so they could set up their CrossFit business. They have two children, Carson (9) and Paige (4).
In 2015 Mary and Leo met estimator, Kimberlee Slagle (29) through their gym and the three soon became good friends. As they spent more time together, their friendship blossomed into a romantic attraction and they formed a throuple in September 2016.
Kimberlee has two children, Keagen (11) and Kymper (7) from a previous relationship and the three have been living under the same roof with their children since June 2017.
They share their family life on Instagram under the handle, @pnwtriad16, and want to inspire others to be honest with who they are even if it is outside of what is considered normal by society.
“We have not always been a triad. Kim was a friend and Mary and I are married. Kim was a member at a CrossFit gym we owned. The friendship we all had turned into attraction,” said Leo.
“A romantic relationship started in 2016. Sometime that year we fell in love, probably at different times, for different reasons. We decided the three of us just vibed really well.
“Polyamory means being open and honest with who we are. We love more than one person and embrace that even though it is beyond the social norm.
“Honestly, it is not very different from a traditional two-person relationship, we have a special relationship with each of our partners that we love and cherish and together we have a throuple.
“Instead of two adults having a family, we have three adults. We all live together with our four children.
“The family members that know of our relationship have been really accepting. It is not just family though, all of our friends are also very accepting.
“We have been very fortunate to have friends and family who love us for who we are and they pay no regard to how we choose to live our lives, as long as we live a happy one.”
Leo, Mary and Kim acknowledge that their relationship might be a little out of the ordinary for some but being a throuple allows them to live their best life.
Like any other relationship, polyamorous or monogamous, jealousy can sometimes become an issue but the three always air their grievances to come to a solution and move forward.
They share pictures of their family on social media and Leo is proud to have his two taller partners on his arm.
“Jealousy is a real thing, in any relationship, not just polyamory. We have found the best way to deal with jealousy is to communicate,” said Leo.
“Communication is key to dealing with any issues that arise. If we cannot discuss them, we cannot fix them.
“We chat a lot about the future but find that living in the moment one day at a time is what is best for our family and us. Things can change so swiftly. Living in the here and now is what makes life worth living.
“Great things like diamonds come in small packages. I don’t mind being shorter than these two beautiful ladies. I think it makes others wonder what is so amazing about me.
“We haven’t encountered any negative reactions to our face about our lifestyle. We have had some people completely shocked and they typically have a ton of questions. Curiosity is normal and completely expected.
“It’s ok to follow your heart and be with who makes you happy even if it is considered unconventional.
“Live the kind of life you want to live and live it with the people you love. You only get one life; you should live your best life.
“Live this life honestly and open. Open communication is key to any successful relationship, no matter the type.
“Disregard any negative comments about this lifestyle, because it is perfectly ok to love many.”
For more information see www.instagram.com/pnwtriad16