Blanca and Phillip Luna were about to become empty nesters when they decided to include a third person in their relationship.
The Texas couple fell in love with Delain Diem and became a “closed triad,” or throuple.
“We like to call it ‘the power of three,’” Delain, 44, told San Antonio Express News. “When we work together, we can knock out pretty much anything.”
Phillip, 52, and Blanca, 49, had been married 25 years, during which they “had a wonderful time being a family” and raising their three kids, said Phillip, an artist and musician. But it was time to spice things up.
“We started trying to meet other couples, just trying to date,” explained Blanca who works as a school operations administrator. “For me, it was figuring out my sexuality. How much am I willing to explore with my husband there, and how open are we about having this conversation?”
Then, they met Delain in 2017.
“She’s very intriguing, very gorgeous,” recalled Blanca, who knew Delain, 44, through work. “Phillip was like, ‘Who is that?’ So I introduced them, and we hit it off.”
Delain, who works in sales operations, had “no idea what polyamory was” when she first encountered Blanca and Phillip. At the time, she was a divorced mom-of-two — and on a date with someone else.
“I thought, ‘I can’t tell if these people are hitting on me, or if I’m making new friends,’” she remembered.
Weeks later, they were “in a grimy dive bar bathroom” when Blanca leaned in for a kiss.
“Delain asked me how I stay looking so young, and I told her ‘by kissing pretty girls like you,’” Blanca said.
“That’s when I knew,” Delain chimed in. “That’s what broke the ice.”
Now, the three lovebirds are a “closed triad.”
“We loved spending every moment we possibly could together,” Blanca said, adding that they “couldn’t get enough of one another” and insisted it didn’t take away from her relationship with Phillip.
“It just felt very comfortable and natural.”
Phillip said his peers questioned his decision to pursue polyamory.
“But then they see us and our dynamic, and they go, ‘Wow, what a powerhouse trio,’” he explained.
“Certainly, we’ve lost friends along the way,” added Blanca. “They can go (expletive) themselves.”
She said she “made it clear” to her family that she was steadfast in her lifestyle choice — and some family members and former friends have managed to “say something offensive” — but the kids are incredibly accepting of the relationship.
“They set an incredible example for me,” said 24-year-old Violet Luna, who identifies as polyamorous as well. “I’ve learned so much through observing how they love one another.”
She also calls Delain her “bonus mom” — and likes the fact that she has additional siblings, meaning “more celebrations, more birthdays, more dinners.”
While there have been bouts of jealousy and boundaries have been crossed, the trio has worked through it all together and live a mostly “mundane” life. Blanca is an avid thrifter, Delain volunteers at the local dog shelter, Phillip creates art and together, the triad likes to watch their favorite TV shows.
“We all have our particularities, but for the most part we work really well together,” said Delain, who moved in with the Luna family in the Crownhill Park neighborhood of San Antonio in 2018.
The throuple, however, can’t legally wed, so in order to commit themselves to each other, they hosted a wedding ceremony, created their own certificate with their kids as witnesses and invited all their loved ones to celebrate in 2022.
“We all felt like this was a long-term, forever thing,” said Blanca. “It was important for us to feel like we were part of a unit.”
