'I live with my husband, girlfriend and boyfriend. This is how our household actually works.'

Everyone dreams of that special spark. The butterflies fluttering around inside your stomach, the smile you can't wipe off your face, the "new relationship energy" that makes you feel like you're floating.

Suzanne thought she'd ticked that box with her husband, Stephen. She never expected to find it again — let alone with another couple, Renee and Nick.

The women met in a Facebook group for new mums back in 2014, but it was an impulsive holiday invite years later that disrupted life as they knew it.

Suzanne and Stephen had a prepaid trip to the Bahamas and a spare room.

"I messaged her and I was like, 'Hey, this is gonna sound crazy, but do you and Nick want to go to the Bahamas with us?'" Suzanne told Mammaia.

"She was like, 'Huh, this is going to sound crazy, but yeah.'"

Renee's mum was sceptical.

"Nothing in this world is free. Don't be an idiot," she warned. "Are they swinging?"

The women laughed it off. The thought hadn't entered their minds… until it did.

Suddenly, the exchanges in the group chat took a flirty turn.

While they joked about the women hitting it off, no one expected the "thousands of sparks" that flew between Suzanne and Nick.

"We spent the entire trip with him and I wondering, 'What the hell'," Suzanne said.

"We left the trip with more questions than we came on it with."

But she had one key takeaway: "It is possible to love more than one person."

Suzanne always knew she was bisexual, but polyamory was new to her. Image: Supplied.

The realisation sparked a big conversation at home. Stephen saw how happy Nick and Renee made his wife and gave his blessing to open their relationship, with one condition: "As long as I'm free to date... find someone who cares for me the way you guys care for her."

The early days were pure "euphoria."

"I was just floating around the whole world just so happy," Suzanne said.

"It's crazy that I have so much chemistry with both of them. The chances of that is just unreal."

After years of interstate visits, Suzanne proposed the idea of the households merging: four adults and five children under one roof.

"We thought maybe it was just going to be a temporary thing," she said.

"I don't even remember a particular moment when this decision was made," Suzanne said.

"We just started calling the kids siblings… We combined our traditions."

Years later, things are still going strong.

Suzanne, Renee and Nick. Image: Supplied.

Parenting in this dynamic isn't as difficult as you might think. The kids usually ask their biological parents for something first, and if they're not around, they'll turn to the other couple for help.

"They don't do the thing where if Renee says no, then they come to me like no way, absolutely not," Suzanne said.

As for managing multiple romantic partners and children? Suzanne said it took some getting used to.

"For a while, I tried literally keeping track. I tried making a chart and trying to make it fair, but that felt stressful on me, and it doesn't even necessarily work," she said.

Today, she opts for a more organic approach.

"Most of the time I hang out with who I find, right? Like, 'Oh, this person's on the couch right now sitting here... this is whose lap I'm going to lay my head in.'"

Of course, managing three partners and five children is not without its difficulties.

"I think for me the hardest part is worrying about everything," Suzanne said.

"With more people, there's more likely to be hurt feelings about something. And especially in a triangle."

Four adults, one polycule, one happy family. Image: Supplies.

The external noise was loud at the start.

When they first moved in, Suzanne did a "social media cleanse" to weed out the judgment.

"I was like, 'Hey, this is what's happening. I'm not interested in hate at this time. So, if this is something that you're like, yikes on bikes, there's the door.' And I lost a significant number," she said.

Today, she's more private, though the kids are open with their circles, using the term "step-parents" for ease.

Regardless of what others think, the life they've built together — a happy, stable home with her husband, boyfriend, girlfriend and their children all under one roof — makes everything worth it.

Her marriage is as strong as ever, and Stephen has even found himself a girlfriend.

"She is super sweet and thank goodness, no drama with her ever," Suzanne said.

"He and I spend intentional time together when we choose to.

"Polyamory has taught us, don't sweat the small stuff."

Most importantly, the house is full of love and support.

"Depending on what my problem is, I can choose who is the best support," Suzanne said.

"One partner might be better at listening, another at cheering me up and another at helping me get really mad and take action."

It's an unconventional life, but for Suzanne, it's a dream come true beyond her wildest imagination.

"The fact that now we're just a family that we're like, 'Oh, what are we getting for dinner tonight'… Sometimes I just want to pinch myself," she said.

"Everything feels so normal that I forget that our everyday is jaw-dropping to other people."

Feature image: Supplied.