Several women nod, some with tears in their eyes.
“I’d imagined having a little girl,” Sarah admits. “Teaching her things. Mother-daughter shopping trips. All of it.”
“I wished for the same, but then I had Even,” Miranda continues. “And I loved him so completely. It didn’t matter that he was a son. He was mine.”
“I have three boys now,” Drew says. “Bran, Owen, and Friant. I won’t lie—I wondered about daughters. But my sons are everything. The love is the same.”
“I’m raising good males,” Sarah says firmly. “Teaching them to respect women, to be kind, strong, honorable. My sons will make the world better. That’s important work.”
“Good point,” Drew smiles.
“My sons are protective of me, even as toddlers,” Megan adds. “They learn from watching their fathers. It’s beautiful.”
“And we raise them together which is nice,” Miranda gestures around the room. “We literally have a village to raise our children. All the boys play together and they are growing up with a large family. We support each other. If you did decide to stay and start a family with Keric, just know you’re not alone in this.”
“What if that’s too hard for me?” I ask quietly. “What if I can’t accept the fact that I’ll be pregnant instantly and never have daughters?”
Honest faces look back at me.
Miranda shrugs. “Then you know this life isn’t for you. And that’s okay. It’s a dealbreaker for some women. You need to be honest with yourself.”
“But give it time to process,” Drew adds. “Don’t decide today. Think about it. Feel it out.”
I exhale and take another bite of my scone.
“So,”Miranda asks after a moment. “Why do we stay in the commune? Despite the hard parts? I stay because I love Rogan,” she answers herself. “He’s not the type of orc who could leave and live amongst humans. His family line has been the leaders of this commune for generations and he’s a natural leader. When I got together with him, I knew it meant staying here forever and that’s been great. He’s my partner in everything. We built this modern version of the community together. It’s home.”
“I stay because I’ve never been happier,” Drew says. “My career thrives here. My books are successful because I can write about what I know. My family is healthy. The life we have is good.”
“I stay because this is where I belong,” Sarah offers. “I’m already a Maine girl and I like the seasons, the forest, the small community. And my mate cherishes me in a way no human man ever did.”
“I stay because I love my husband and sons,” Megan says. “In Seattle, I was just another tech worker in a cubicle, but here I’ve built a peaceful life with no commute and no crime. I really do love it here. I can take a long walk by myself at night and I’m perfectly safe.”
They start to chat amongst each other about the positives:
“The community, all the women here, with a few exceptions, are my sisters.”
There’s some snorts of laughter at that comment.
“No crime, no fear walking around at night. That’s really a big deal.”
“Right? My children grow up protected.”
“Nature, peace, quiet.”
“Real partnership with my mate, for life. Not having to worry if he’ll cheat on me and then divorce me and try to leave me with nothing, this is a big deal to me.”
Someone grins. “Okay but also the sex.”
Everyone laughs.
“It’s not the only reason,” she defends.
“But it’s a really good reason,” Drew agrees.
“Worth mentioning!” Megan adds.
“Your turn,”Drew says to me. “Tell us about you and Keric.”
