I’m alone on the porch and nervous suddenly. What if I don’t fit in? What if they think I’m stupid for running for three years? What if?—
The door opens before I can knock.
“Anna,” Drew beams at me, pulling me into an immediate hug. “Come in. We’re so excited you’re here.”
I follow her inside. The living room is spacious with a huge sectional couch. Four other women are already there, sitting with coffee cups and pastries. They all turn to look at me with welcoming smiles. It’s a nice, cozy scene and I immediately feel better.
“Everyone, this is Anna Lee,” Drew announces. “Anna, this is everyone.”
Laughter all around.
Drew introduces them one by one. “This is Miranda Overlook, she’s Rogan’s bride.”
“Oh really?” I exclaim, smiling at the woman with kind eyes and grey streaking her dark hair. “I’ve met your husband twice already.”
“I know,” she laughs. “I heard.”
“And this is Sarah Stoneclaw. She’s married to Lordan Stoneclaw, an orc you haven’t met yet.”
Sarah leans forward and shakes my hand. “And I’m married to Lordan Stoneclaw, an orc you haven’t met yet.”
I smile at the woman in her thirties with a warm, practical manner and a distinct Maine accent.
“And I’m Megan Stoneclaw,” a younger woman who looks like she’s in her mid-twenties offers, with a wide grin on her pretty face. “I’m married to Sarah’s husband’s cousin, another orc you haven’t met yet either.”
“Sit, sit.” Drew presses a coffee cup into my hands. “My husband and kids are all out of the cabin for a couple of hours so we have plenty of time to talk. Would you like cream? Sugar?”
“Both, please.”
She doctors my coffee while I settle onto the couch.
Miranda hands me a blueberry scone that looks warm and fresh. “These are from the newly established commune bakery,” she explains. “Run by a human Bride who used to work in a shop in Vermont.”
“It’s delicious,” I say after taking a bite. And it is.
“So,” Drew settles beside me, grinning. “We heard you adopted a kitten yesterday.”
Oh thank god, a safe topic. “Yes, I did. Her name is Dinah. She’s a grey tabby. Rothgar was trying to find homes for a litter.”
“She got the one nobody wanted?” Sarah asks, her Maine accent softening the words.
“The runt. But she’s perfect.”
“That’s so sweet!” Drew exclaims.
“Rothgar’s cats are legendary,” Megan comments. “He acts like a grumpy hermit but he’s a total softie.”
“I noticed that,” I laugh.
“How are you settling in?” Miranda asks gently. “It’s been what, two days?”
“Yes, this makes my third day here. It’s been... a lot. I had to leave behind my entire life in California suddenly and now I’m living in a cabin with Keric, an orc I barely knew prior to a few days ago.”
“It always happens fast like that when you find your orc,” Miranda sighs.
The rest nod in agreement.
“I don’t know what to do about my attraction to Keric,” I admit. “I’ve learned that we can’t actually date and that if we do anything together it’s like I’ve made a forever commitment with him and…I mean we barely know each other.
