Winning the Lottery - 5. The Deacons step up to the plate

Derrick’s great-great-great grandfather, Darius, an Irish tailor, immigrated to the USA during the California gold rush and settled in San Francisco where he soon had a thriving haberdashery. Frustrated by the quality of wool fabric that was available, and the time an order for ‘good cloth’ took to arrive from the Old Country, he decided to buy a sheep ranch in Wyoming and produce, from start to finish, his own cloth. He built a woolen mill on a river just outside of Cheyenne which produced high quality fabric. The excess of which he sold. His businesses prospered, and he began to branch out. He started a successful chain of haberdasheries then began to buy businesses here and there. Before long he had a telegraph company, a mining company and a banks and a newspaper. That was how the Dea-Con Corporation was started and the model on which it functioned today. It was Derrick’s great grandfather who drew up the trust deed that set out how the shares of the company would be divided and passed to subsequent generations of Deacons, and how the income would be shared. Only a small percentage of the income is distributed to the family, the rest stays in the company for growth. Today the company has multiple and diverse holdings. Derrick’s grandfather and his Uncle Darius try to keep all the Dea-Con businesses ethical.

Cass was conceived during a party at Derrick’s friend’s house. Derrick was only sixteen, and he was seduced by an older girl, not from Orcas Island, but who was visiting. Derrick swears, and I believe him, that that was the one and only time he had sex with a female.

He was glad, perhaps a little proud, to have lost his virginity, but the encounter, which he hadn’t really enjoyed, brought clarity. He knew for certain he was gay.

Shortly after that, he came out to his parents, who were very supportive and reassuring. He didn’t, however, mention the clarifying encounter with the girl.

Fast forward eight years. Cass’s mom was in trouble after years of struggling on her own as a single mother. She hadn’t gone to college and had worked in a series of service industry jobs, surviving from paycheck to paycheck. She and Cass moved frequently, and, from the little Cass said, here had been several boyfriends. When she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and as many who live without adequate medical coverage do, she started to self-medicate for the pain with alcohol and illegal drugs. Thus started a downward spiral. Eventually she realized she no longer could, and no longer wanted to, cope with a child. Having no reliable family of her own she went looking for Cass’s father. Derrick wasn’t the only boy she’d seduced that evening. Her friend on Orcas helped trace the boys at that party—she had no recollection of exactly which, or how many, boys she had sex with. After seven frustratingly negative paternity tests her friend finally remembered that Derrick, the quiet guy, had been at the party. Bingo! DNA match. The girl, and indeed most people on Orcas Island, had no idea that Derrick was one of ‘the’ wealthy Deacons. Cass’s mom wasn’t after money, all she wanted was for her son to have a better life. She was happy to surrender full custody of Cass to Derrick and was enormously grateful for the medical help and financial settlement that followed. She has visiting rights but often passes on them because of the exhaustion brought on by her disease.

Cass had been moved around frequently and, in spite of a lively intelligence, had fallen behind his grade level. For the last year a tutor, Giselle, who was both a teacher and a psychologist, had been homeschooling him. He was nearly caught up in all his subjects and would be attending a ‘real’ school at the start of the January. In order for him to socialize with children his own age he went to an after school activities center.

Whenever Derrick talked about Cass his face became radiant. He clearly loved his boy. As I’d mention, I too, had fallen under the Cass spell. Kind and gentle like his father, he was an easy child to love.

It was on one of these languorous afternoons that we ‘went all the way.’ We’d both been thinking about it, of course, but the timing hadn’t been right. I don’t know about Derrick, but I hesitated to talk about the subject. Talking about it seemed too clinical. “Shall we have anal sex today?” But the moment arose quite naturally, and nature just took its course.

We’d been kissing and hugging, rolling this way and that, when I got the notion to lie on my stomach. I asked Derrick to lie on me and give me his full weight, which he did. It felt glorious, his body covering mine, trapping me in a very sensual way. Our bodies were slippery with sweat and his cock was nestled perfectly in my ass crack. We both began to move. He was thrusting his rigid dick up and down my sweat-lubricated ass crack; I was rotating my hips to bring the length of his shaft in contact with my rear opening.

“I’m ready,” I whispered. I had put some condoms in the drawer of the bedside table, just in case, and Derrick was able to grab one and roll it on quickly. The short interruption in play only increased my need. When he applied a dollop of lube to my hole I pushed back against his finger.

I lifted my ass as Derrick, kneeling, spread my ass cheeks and placed the tip of his cock against my opening. In my lusty eagerness I pushed back against him. “I’ll go slowly,” he said. “Let me know if I’m hurting you.”

“No, you won’t hurt me,” I assured him.

I felt a welcoming pressure as he pushed gently. When I felt myself resisting, I took a deep breath and relaxed. With a little more pressure I felt a slight pop as the tip of Derrick’s cock penetrated my ass ring. Derrick halted, wanting reassurance that he wasn’t hurting me. It hurt a bit, but in a very good way. I asked him to be still for a few moments while I got used to the sensation. Within a few seconds I pushed back inviting more of Derrick’s shaft. Slowly, slowly he entered me until he was at the hilt. I asked him to lie on me again. His weight pressing me into the mattress; the fullness of my passage felt heavenly. I could have stayed like that for hours. I felt Derrick thrust—he was already in all the way—but primal urges were driving him to copulate. “Can I move now?” he asked.

“Oh yes!”

He levered himself up onto his arms and slowly pulled back. Just as I began to panic that he’d pull out completely he reversed course and re-entered. Pure bliss.

“Take your pleasure my darling,” I said. “Be as forceful as you like. I’m in heaven.”

Derrick increased the pace, and I encouraged him with moans of pleasure and repetitions of, “Yes!”

Derrick was throwing a few moans of his own, and they were becoming louder and deeper until he breathlessly declared, “I’m. Going. To. Cum!” And he dove deep as his body shuddered in release. His arms gave way, and he dropped his whole weight on me again. Then he was kissing my neck and panting breaths against my burning skin.

I remained motionless, enjoying the moment, the feel of Derrick’s weight, his manhood still filling me. I’d given my man pleasure, and my gift was returned a thousand times with the contentment, the absolute bliss, I felt.

“I love you with everything I have,” he said.

“And I you,” I replied.

Derrick slid out, tossed the condom in the trash, and cuddled me. We slept for several minutes, and, upon wakening, Derrick asked me to return the favor. So I did, with him on his back, legs up and spread, with lots and lots of deep kisses.

It was on our third afternoon of canoodling that Derrick asked me to marry him.

I was thrilled and flattered, but we’d never really addressed the after part of our long distance relationship. Derrick was forcing us into a Mexican standoff. He had his job, his parents, and his son in the Seattle area. My job, indeed my identity, was in Hawaii. I felt guilty: if I truly loved Derrick I would make sacrifices. Well, guilty or not, I wasn’t quite ready to do that. I hadn’t thought much about the happily ever after because I was too busy living in, and very much enjoying, the present state of affairs. And what did Cass have to say about all of this? Did I want to marry Derrick? You bet your boots I did. But that eventuality seemed unlikely.

I said, “Oh, Derrick, I want to marry you so much. But how is that possible with you in Seattle and me in Honolulu? And what about Cass, how would he feel about you marrying me?”

“Ah my dear, sweet, analytical Gabe. I’ll take that as a conditional yes.” And he proceeded to kiss me crazy, which suspended our discussion temporarily.

Sated yet again, we resumed the discussion.

“What I was about to say,” Derrick continued, “Was that, even as unsettled as our current situation is, I want a betrothal. A commitment to a future together, whatever that may be. There’s no rush to get married, and these things have a way of sorting themselves out.”

“Okay, I agree, we’ll make it work out...somehow. You, Mr. Deacon, are now officially my fiancé. Wait a minute, what about Cass?”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I did discuss it with him. He’s analytical like you; I could see the little wheels turning in his head when I broached the subject. He solemnly told me that you would make a good second dad and that it was ‘okay.’

“Ah, he’s such a sweet kid; you know I already love him to death.”

“Can we tell my parents when you’re up there next week?”

“Um...they’ll be okay with this?”

“Are you kidding? They love you. They think you walk on water!” (An odd metaphor to apply to Buddhists, but hey, I got the message.)

“Really? Wow. Okay then. We’ll tell them we’re officially betrothed.”

Cass, accompanied by Art, the security guy, was waiting for us when we arrived in Seattle. Cass strode up and hugged Derrick around the waist. Derrick kissed him on the head and said he’d missed him. Cass then pulled away and came shyly toward me. He reached out and I pulled him into a hug. Cass looked up into my face and said, “Are you going to be my dad too?”

I said, “Yes, if that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” he said.

Later, while we were enjoying a spaghetti dinner, Cass, as was his way, opened up about our engagement, asking us multiple, insightful questions.

Having yet to discuss the ‘happy ever after’ subject, Cass’s question about when I would begin to live with them hung heavy in the air.

“We’re working on that,” Derrick said.

When we arrived on Orcas, Derrick’s parents watching us intently, sensing something was up.

Cass spilled the beans quickly. “Gabe’s gonna be my new dad. Now I’ll have two!”

A stunned silence greeted that announcement.

“Um,” followed Derrick, “We got engaged in Hawaii.”

McKenzie squealed with joy, “Oh I’m so glad!”

Douglas wrapped him in a bear hug. “I couldn’t be happier, or prouder, son,” he said.

Then both parents embraced me warmly. “We’re so happy for both of you,” enthused MacKenzie.

“You’ll make a fine addition to our family,” added Douglas. He turned his attention to Cass. “You’re not just getting another daddy, Cass, we’re getting another son.”

I was completely blown away by the family’s easy acceptance of me. How could I not love each and every one of them? When Derrick’s dad suggested I call them Mom and Dad I wept.

After a short visit to Orcas, we returned to Seattle for the balance of the week. Derrick and I focussed on Cass both alone and separately. I especially enjoyed taking him and Lucy beachcombing on the shore below Derrick’s house. While Lucy frolicked in and out of the water chasing birds and sticks Cass and I hunted for treasures. We found several colored stones, some beach glass and a few interesting pieces of driftwood.

Cass, who was used to me by that time, asked me a million questions which I answered the best I could. I was a little evasive on matters concerning my family—why burden a young boy with that toxic story—but I answered questions about Hawaii enthusiastically. I painted such a rosy picture that Cass was begging Derrick to take him to visit me, like tomorrow!

All too soon my vacation came to an end. This time it was very hard to leave Derrick and Cass and board the plane home. Once again, I found myself using the nearly six hour flight to brood. While with Derrick, our life together seemed such a tangible goal, anything was possible. Away from him, even for a few hours, I began to doubt the practicality of our engagement. How could we make it work? A long-distance marriage? Me, a part-time father to Cass? But I knew that if I gave in and moved to Seattle I’d be giving up a part of myself, perhaps becoming beholden to Derrick in the process. Would I end up like my mother, screwing for a new couch, or God forbid, a Lamborghini? Arrghh!

The time until Christmas went by quickly in a familiar routine. Derrick visited overnight every one or two weeks. I worked six days a week. On Sundays I explored Oahu, and enjoyed the beaches.

Christmas was fast approaching and Derrick and Cass were going to spend it in Honolulu with me. Cass was beside himself with excitement.

Meanwhile, I’d remained “texting’ friends with Rob, the guy from LA, that I’d met on the beach, and he and his husband, Jerome, were delighted about our engagement, as were Sam and Nick, in San Diego, when they were told. They all invited Derrick, Cass and I to visit and go boating with them. Cass was about the same age as Sam and Nick’s son, Jorge. A great idea, when and if Derrick and I could manage to find the time.

In mid-December McKenzie, Mom, called and said she and dad were coming to Hawaii on business, and would I have dinner with them while they were there? We passed an enjoyable evening at a Waikiki beach front restaurant. When I asked them about how their business—the apparent reason for their trip—was going, they were unusually evasive. I just chalked it up to the Deacon’s mania for remaining low key.

Christmas arrived and it was everything a Christmas should be. Cass and Derrick stayed with me. Cass loved Hawaii and showed avid curiosity about everything, just like his dad. I bought a small artificial tree, and Cass helped me decorate it. Derrick suggested putting a limit on gifts, so any awkwardness by the disparity in our financial situations, was avoided. I even managed to cook a turkey dinner without burning anything. At the end, when Derrick told Cass it was time to catch the plane home, he objected strenuously. It took a lot of cajoling and promises of further visits to Hawaii to regain his cooperation. It was a very sad parting at the airport.

For some reason, that was a little unclear, Cass didn’t enter regular school that January, but continued to be homeschooled with regular outings to the youth activity center.

Two more months passed. We were living from one conjugal visit to the next. Derrick’s absences became harder and harder to bear. I hated the stalemate in which we found ourselves. But what was the alternative? It would be stupid, and unnecessary, to rock the boat with some sort of ultimatum. I wasn’t that self-destructive. I was biding my time, racking my brains for a solution. As Derrick said when we became engaged, “Have faith in the future.” I clung to that thought.

Derrick asked me to come to Seattle for a visit. The manner in which he asked was more of a summons than an invitation. My hackles rose. Was it starting: the ‘I’m rich, so I’m the boss’ attitude? I certainly hoped not.

In a similar manner, we’d been summoned to Orcas Island. It seemed so out of character, so un-Deaconish, that I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as we drove from the Orcas airport to the Deacons’ home. Derrick, and his mom, and his dad, were uncharacteristically quiet and tense.

We were invited to sit around the table and enjoy a glass of ice tea. Okay.....

All four deacons jiggled and fussed. The tension grew thick. I became sick with apprehension. Here it comes, I thought warily, The Deacons are calling a halt to our little engagement charade. And as sad as I felt about that, I also felt relief. I’d be able to get on with my pathetic life and view this Derrick episode as a mostly pleasant but ultimately sad dream.

Douglas, being head of the family, spoke first. He cleared his throat and began. “Gabe, as you know, we’ve all been struggling with a solution to your and Derrick’s...ah...little problem...with...ah...living arrangements.”

I tried not to cry. I would not let them see me cry. I would not! But I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking uncontrollably as I sought refuge in my glass of tea.

“We understand the forces involved,” he continued. “You have a life in Hawaii, and Derrick has a life here. Family, job and so forth. Now here’s the thing, Gabe, we don’t want to put you under any pressure. What we are about to propose is entirely dependent on your agreement. If you don’t like what we’re suggesting, then we’ll find another solution. But McKenzie and I believe that you, Derrick and Cass shouldn’t be separated by 2,500 miles of ocean.”

“Get to the point, honey, you’re scaring Gabriel,” interjected McKenzie giving me a sympathetic look.

“Yes. Well...McKenzie and I are thinking of retiring, or at least scaling back on our teaching and retreat schedule. We’ve been thinking about moving someplace warm to start fresh. Hawaii comes to mind.”

Derrick then spoke up, “And I’ve applied for a job at a major Hawaiian airline. They’re getting a fleet of A321’s, and I’ve got a good chance of getting on with them.”

“And I can go to school there!” piped up Cass.

“Yeah,” confirmed Derrick, “We’ve found a really good school for Cass in Kahala.” (The next town south of Honolulu.) It’s world renowned, has an impeccable academic reputation and a zero-tolerance bullying and discrimination policy—including no discrimination based on sexual orientation. And the policy extends to the families of students. We’d have to sign an agreement to that effect. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

My God, this was like a surprise birthday party only infinitely better! Relief and joy flooded through me. All that adrenaline I was producing for a ‘flight’ response had me shaking and shivering like a leaf. I burst into happy tears and, embarrassed, buried my face in my hands.

Derrick put his hands protectively around my shoulders. I scrubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands and saw three pairs of eyes (Cass, McKenzie and Douglas) observing me with serious, questioning expressions.

“You’d do this for me? For us?” I blubbered, bringing forth a fresh waterfall of tears.

“Of course we would, dear,” said McKenzie. “For you, and for Derrick, and for Cass and for the rest of us.”

“Certainly,” echoed Douglas. “We all benefit.”

Cass nodded solemnly. “I really wanna live in Hawaii too.”

I sniffed loudly and said, “Derrick?”

“Oh babe,” he said in a husky voice, “Absolutely. Who wouldn’t want to live in Hawaii? Especially with you.”

I was in no state to answer rationally, but Douglas pressed the point. “What about you, Gabe. Would you want the Deacon clan arriving on your doorstep? We can be a bit of handful sometimes.”

“I can’t believe you’d do this, but yes, yes, I’d like nothing better!” Then suddenly the adrenaline drained from my body, and I all but collapsed. My eyes felt heavy and began to close on their own accord.

“I think he’s in shock,” said MacKenzie. “Derrick, take him into your bedroom and lay him down.”

Derrick held me up and half carried me up the stairs and into the bedroom where I reeled onto the bed. I felt Derrick’s lovely arms go around me as I succumbed to a deep sleep.

Derrick was still holding me when I awoke, groggy, sometime later. I apologized for my outburst, and Derrick told me he was sorry for the way they’d sprung the surprise on me. We kissed, and I asked, “I didn’t just dream all that, did I?”

“Not a dream, Honey. Guess I, we, have a lot of explaining to do?”

“Yes, I suppose. It’s just very hard for me to take in, to believe the truth of it.”

“Dad wants to talk to you. He can explain things the best. Is that okay? Would you mind having a little tête-a-tête with him?”

I agreed, so Douglas and I went for a short walk to a little promontory overlooking the ocean on which there was a bench. A lovely, peaceful spot.

“The Deacons must confuse you,” he said.

“Yes, a...um...little,” I replied diplomatically.

“It was easy for me to accept the path of Buddha,” he said, “Partly because the Deacons have always been a non-materialistic family. Except for my brother, Darius, who is CEO of the company, we generally don’t flaunt our wealth—especially by buying ‘things’ because those ‘things’ aren’t what bring happiness. Living in the moment, loving others, compassion, being kind, those are the things that bring a person peace. Plus, drawing attention to ourselves can be downright dangerous. I don’t know if Derrick pointed out the two properties adjoining this one. We own both of them as well as this one. To the north, live Andrew and Rose, a married couple. Both ex-army, combat vets. To the south, live Marty and Baron, a gay couple, by the way, again, both ex-special forces, combat vets. Growing up, Derrick thought they were just neighbors and friends, which of course they are. He never realized they were watching over us until we told him when he was fifteen years old.”

“You mean, to prevent kidnapping?”

“Yes, that’s one of the reasons,” He said, “And we have so much money that we need only flick our wrist to have anything we want. It’s unimaginable power; we could satisfy every whim. But indiscriminate spending only brings temporary happiness, and it always results in what we Buddhists call ‘suffering.’ That’s why we don’t jump into things without a lot of careful thought.”

He let that statement hang in the air for a few beats, allowing me to mentally masticate the importance of it.

He continued, “And, moving to Hawaii isn’t just a whim. We’ve given it a lot of thought. We think it will make at least five people—people who have a lot of love to share—happy.”

Still, doubts plagued me, “But why me? I’m...insignificant. What if I’m a gold-digger?”

Douglas threw his head back and roared with laughter. “You’re the farthest thing from a gold-digger we’ve ever seen. You’ve been going out with Derrick for several months now. Have you asked for anything? No. Not once. I believe you’ve even declined the first class air tickets. You, a gold-digger, now that is funny!” He was still laughing.

He stopped laughing and turned serious, “Listen to me Gabe. You. Are. Not. Insignificant. Our son and grandson love you like crazy, as do McKenzie and I.”

“Still....”

“Well, it’s really up to you and Derrick, but let me outline what we’ve done so far. When McKenzie and I were in Hawaii, a few months back, we engaged the services of a property agent to find a good location for a home. Beachfront, security provisions, and so forth.”

Beachfront?

“The agent found us an ideal property, just down the way from Waikiki, down near Waialae. When you’re ready we’ll show you the preliminary building plans. But not until you’ve discussed the situation with Derrick. I can sense you’re reticent, and I don’t blame you. All I ask is that you keep an open mind.”

“I’m warming up to the idea. But I want a pre-nup. I don’t want any of Derrick’s money or shares, or whatever. I can manage on my own.”

“Under the terms of the Deacon trust you wouldn’t be eligible for any shares in the Dea-Con Corporation. But you would, of course be eligible for a portion of Derrick’s personal wealth, which is considerable.”

“I don’t want that. I just want Derrick, and Cass. And you and Mom, too.”

Later I asked Derrick how the family was so sure I wasn’t a gold-digger. He responded by telling me about his previous, and only, boyfriend before me. “He really worked me, Gabe. I had no idea at first. He was attentive and, I thought, loving. After a while, he started asking me for things: an expensive watch, a car. I jokingly rebuffed him. Of course I could buy him what he wanted, but something was a little off. Finally he tried to extort money by threatening to go to a tabloid and expose me and my family to unwanted publicity. I confessed everything to Dad, who told Gramps, who unleashed a battalion of lawyers and charged the guy with extortion. It was awful. I was ashamed. I’d been thoroughly duped....”

“How can you be sure I’m not like that?”

He rolled his eyes, “Come on, Gabe, you a gold-digger? I doubt that very much. In fact I know it with certainty. I, and the rest of the Deacons, trust you. Gramps has probably had you thoroughly checked out. After the last fiasco.... And that’s why I told you up front about our wealth. The best defense is a good offence. If you were going to ask for stuff you’ve had months to do it, and you haven’t.”

That made sense, of course. I made a mental note to ask Gramps if he’d had me investigated when I met him.

Which I did, meet him that is, two days later. I flew back to Honolulu with a stopover in San Francisco. Derrick accompanied me as far as San Francisco. Gramps had dispatched a limo to bring us to his and Gramdma’s house which sat on a hill with a spectacular view over the bay. When I saw the interior of the house I was, again, struck with how modestly the Deacons lived. It was a big house, but the furniture was comfortable, not lavish. There was virtually no original artwork. Instead, framed photos and portraits of the family, both past and present, plus posters of famous paintings adorned the walls. The kitchen was well equipped with good quality, but well used, appliances.

Gramps was as charming as all the other Deacons I’d met. Shorter than Derrick and his dad, he reminded me of a little leprechaun with gleaming eyes, an impish smile, and a fake Irish accent. Grandma was similar, and she, too, had a disarming smile.

They both congratulated us profusely on our engagement and told me how happy they were I was going to be part of the family. I was immediately at ease—such gracious people.

When I had gramps to myself, I whispered, “You had me checked out?”

“Aye, and you’re pure as an Irish Catholic school girl. And smart as a whip, judging from your college grades.”

Honestly, how could I take offense at that? I burst out laughing and Gramps joined me. Then he turned serious and asked to talk to me in private. I followed him to his office. “Since you’re becoming part of the family I’m assigning you a security crew.”

When I started to protest he raised his hand cutting off my words. The stern look in his eyes told me he would brook no argument.

That crew was waiting at the San Francisco airport when I got there. Introductions were made: Steve, Lisa, Ron and Sylvia. I was given a magic keychain, told to carry it with me at all times, and instructed how to activate the alarm. Its built-in GPS would monitor my whereabouts. At least one of the four ‘guards’ would be nearby at all times. Having my own security team just seemed weird, but Gramps had spoken, and that was that.

Steve, who was the leader, sat with me on the plane and explained the protocol. Mostly I would be ‘shadowed’ as unobtrusively as possible. A phone number was programmed into my phone to which I could text or call. There were some other instructions, but nothing I couldn’t easily comply with. Steve reiterated that it wasn’t like the security for the President, where my every movement was sheltered. Only one bodyguard would remain fairly close and would respond within seconds if needed. I could acknowledge them if I saw them—the security wasn’t a secret. “Think of us as your friends,” said Steve.

After a few days I calmed down about the security people; most of the time I didn’t know they were around. I was settling in to my ‘island’ routine again when McKenzie contacted me. She asked me to accompany their property agent to see the land they’d optioned. After that, I was to go to an architectural firm to see the preliminary building plans for the site.

The land was magnificent beachfront property—I was more delighted than surprised, after all, didn’t Douglas say that the Deacons could do anything they wanted with the flick of a wrist? It was two fairly large lots with older houses. One was in very bad repair, and one was so-so. But the view! The idea was to create a family compound on the combined properties.

The next day at lunch I walked over to the architects’ office to see the preliminary sight plan and building renderings. The old houses were to be razed and replaced with Polynesian style villas. Derrick’s parents would live in the smaller one on the south side of the property, and Derrick, Cass and I would have the larger one on the north side of the property. A long garage screened the property from the road, and built into that were two apartments. One for a nanny or guest, and one for an on-site security person. The layout was designed to give each family maximum privacy, or as much social mingling as we liked. The parents’ villa even had its own small pool, leaving the main pool to Derrick, Cass and me.

The individual villas were not large by today’s standards. Mom and Dad’s was a single story, open plan two bedroom plus den, about 1,500 square feet. Ours was a two story, with three bedrooms and den upstairs, and an open plan downstairs. About 3,000 square feet total.

The property agent hadn’t mentioned the land across the road, but that had been optioned as well, and there were plans to renovate the existing house for the security staff. Apparently Marty and Baron, from Orcas, were moving to Hawaii, but Andrew and Rose were retiring to travel the US in a recreational vehicle.

The whole plan was so well thought out that I had little to add. Derrick was working—somewhere in the air between Seattle and Orlando—so I called Mom to tell her the plans were perfect and that I could hardly wait until everyone was here! She seemed relieved, “That’s wonderful, Gabriel, we’re delighted that you’re on board with the whole idea.”

Everything was going so well. I was in love with a wonderful man from a wonderful, generous family. It was easy to become swept up in the Deacon’s charm and affability; I was spellbound by their serenity, their seemingly easy, perfect life. The only ‘pretention’ they displayed was the security precautions, the ever-present guards, the magic key chains...well, all that seemed a little overdone to me.

But it turned out I was wrong about that. Very wrong.