I moved my new man and his kids in with my ex-husband… and they all get on, honest!
Mum-of-four Lindsay Taylor, 33, from Connecticut, USA, says she wouldn't have it any other way
IT wouldn’t work for most people, but for Lindsay Taylor, 33, living under the same roof as her current and ex-husband is the only option.
After divorcing Chris Kelley – father to her children Lucas, five, and Joanna, three – she moved in with new man Mike Taylor.
But when the couple were forced to move out of their flat, Chris kindly offered up a room in his five-bedroom house.
Now the trio, along with Lucas and Joanna, Lindsay’s oldest daughter from a previous marriage, Rachel, 17, Mike’s two children Danny, 19, and Destiny, 21, and his and Lindsay’s new baby Harrison, 10 months, live as one big happy family.
Lindsay, from Connecticut, USA, explained: “When Chris first suggested it I was like, ‘Are you serious?’
“If I was him, I wouldn’t have offered that. But I think at that point he knew me and him were romantically over, and it was just about what was best for the kids.
“Financially, me and Chris still had some shared debt, so it made sense for us to pay our bills together rather than have two separate rents or mortgages.”
Lindsay met Chris, 45, at a party in November 2010. She was living in Massachusetts at the time, but after a month of dating she, Rachel and their puppy moved in with Chris in Connecticut.
Despite both swearing they wouldn’t get hitched, having both been married before, in January 2011 they decided to take the plunge.
Lindsay recalled: “We literally called the Justice of the Peace and got married four days later in our kitchen.
“It was the middle of the winter, with the French doors open and snow outside. The dog was running in and out and we had his parents, a good friend of mine and my daughter, and that was it.
“It was so simple and cost $100. Everybody said it wouldn’t work out, but we lasted six years.”
Lindsay gave birth to their son Lucas in August 2012. Joanna followed in April 2015, but just three months afterwards Lucas was diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease, a rare, inherited, immunodeficiency disorder which makes his body struggle to fight off infections.
Being a full-time mum at home bringing up two children, Lindsay told how she felt the passion drain from their relationship.
“There wasn’t a lot of romance there in the last two years, it was just comfortable,” she explained.
“It was just watching movies and raising the kids together. There was no spark; we were like two roommates who had kids.
“I was happy in general, but I was not happy in the marriage. There was nothing really wrong, we never really fought, we were like the best of friends.”
In August 2016, Lindsay met Mike, 51, at a friend’s gig and was struck by their instant attraction.
“He walked away because I was a married woman, and he’s a good man,” she said.
“In my heart I knew if I was interested in someone else then this marriage needed to end because it wouldn’t be fair. So that September I told Chris I wasn’t happy and I wanted a divorce.
“Chris took it really well, because I was so upfront with him. He was really sad, because he still felt the love.
“But he was a trooper the whole way and we talked every day. There was a lot of open communication and that helped him.”
Lindsay moved in with her mum Kathy, 60, who lived 30 minutes away, meaning it was easy for her to still visit their children every day.
She and Chris divorced within a month, and Lindsay started seeing Mike. They soon became serious and moved into a flat together.
“We tried to keep it as normal as possible for the kids, I visited every day,” Lindsay said.
“Then in May last year Mike and I found out our apartment building was in for closure, so we thought we’d have to look for a new one. That’s when Chris said, ‘You’re coming back and forth every day, Mike’s a good guy, the kids want you here, so you guys should just move in’.
“I think the person who had the toughest time adjusting was Mike, which I thought was weird because I was like, ‘You should be happy and grateful,’ and he said ‘I am, but this is Chris’s house and you were Chris’s wife, and I don’t feel like this is my home’.
“I told him that was normal because that’s exactly how I’d always felt. But Chris made a very good job of making everyone feel like it was their home.
“Mike does chores around the house, and they get on really well. I’ve never seen them have an argument. It’s the weirdest thing, I can’t explain it; it’s quite unique and cool.”
Luckily all their children get on brilliantly.
“Lucas absolutely loves Mike’s daughter Destiny,” Lindsay said.
“He and Joanna fight over her because they don’t want anybody else, they just want her. She’s so good with kids.”
Two months after they moved in with Chris – when Lindsay was already six months pregnant with Harrison – she and Mike married on their local beach in a private ceremony.
“Chris gave us his blessing, and everybody wanted to be a part of it, but Mike and I didn’t want to make a thing about it,” Lindsay said.
“I just knew we were in love and we wanted to bring Harrison into the world with us married.”
Lindsay told how her ex instantly fell in love with their new addition – and they now call him Uncle Chris.
“He always tells me how cute Harrison is, and if I put him in Chris’s lap, he’ll hold him and watch him while I take a shower,” Lindsay said.
“Chris and I wanted more kids, so he says it’s nice we have another one in the house.
“He hasn’t met anyone else yet – he’s tried online dating, but our lives are very busy right now.”
Earlier this year Lucas underwent a bone marrow transplant in Boston, and now the family are planning to move together to Arizona for a better quality of life.
“The price is right and it has a warmer climate, serene landscape and good medical care for Lucas, just in case,” Lindsay said.
While many of Lindsay’s friends struggle to understand their unusual set-up, Lindsay can’t imagine it any other way.
“Some people have asked if I sleep with both of them, so I have to not get offended because I guess it’s a natural question,” she admitted.
“But the answer is no. It still works, it just takes some explaining.
“But I finally just have to say, listen, Chris is my best friend, and we have children, and he was nice enough to let me and Mike live with him. Nobody fights, so it works.”
Last year we told how a former couple were forced to live together after falling victim to “Generation Rent”.
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