Drake Sisters 07 - Hidden Currents

and looked inside. The front room was transformed. Hardwood floors and high, cathedral ceilings gave the house the look of the one he’d designed. The large rock fireplace was stil there with an ornate glass screen around it, the symbols glowing various colors from the flames dancing behind it.
    â€œWhen did your family do this? I was just here.†He looked down at the large mosaic in the entryway. The tiles danced with light, throwing a multitude of stars on the ceiling. Tiny little sparks leapt and crackled in the air, a mini-fireworks display overhead. He hesitated, leaning close to her ear.
    â€œBaby, I’ve got to tel you, this house is freaky. I think it’s alive.â€
    She turned her face up to kiss him. “It’s just welcoming the new generation. It wil settle down as soon as we step inside.â€
    â€œYou’re certain?â€
    She laughed. “Take the step. You already married me and changed your name around for me. You may as wel go al the way and accept the house, too. I noticed it’s already been rearranged to your preferences.â€
    He took possession of her mouth, maybe gathering courage, he didn’t know, or it could have been the joy rising like champagne bubbles in his blood. She was beautiful. And she was home. She was his. “You’re my preference,†he stated and stepped across the threshold.
    The tiles glittered, throwing off a purple-pink hue, but she was right, the moment his foot touched the floor, the house was just that—a house. No, it was home. It smel ed like home and comfort, a haven for them.
    He kissed her again. “We need a bed.â€
    â€œThis minute?†She nuzzled his neck, smiling at the urgency in his voice.
    â€œRight this minute,†he insisted.
    Laughing, El e started to point up the stairs to her old, childhood bedroom, to the floor where seven bedrooms waited to be occupied, and then realized the master bedroom was now theirs. She inhaled sharply and pressed closer to him, the enormity of their legacy swamping her.
    â€œWe’l be fine,†he whispered, fol owing the direction in her mind.
    He started down the wide hal , frowning a little, thinking even that seemed wider with higher ceilings. Doors stood open and as he passed one, he caught sight of a brand-new baby grand piano. Abruptly he stopped in the doorway. Jackson slowly al owed El e’s bare feet to drop gently to the floor.
    He circled her waist with one arm, looking around the room in amazement.
    â€œLook at this. A music room.†He stepped inside, his gaze sweeping upward toward the ceiling and al around. The room was built with acoustic tiles, obviously soundproofed. Again, a spacious room with only two wide, comfortable chairs and a thick carpet. Candles adorned shelves and the gas fireplace was built into the wal , almost an exact duplicate of his sanctuary. But the piano . . . He went over to it almost afraid to touch it. “This is extraordinary.â€
    â€œEach of my sisters left us a gift. This is from Joley.â€
    He shook his head. “This is too much.â€
    She took his hand. “You’l need this room for solace, we both wil . There wil be times we’l need to shut out the rest of the world and just find peace. Joley gave that to us.â€
    â€œI’l never be able to repay her.â€
    â€œWe’re giving the Drake family the next generation, Jackson. Each of my sisters is contributing to our children.â€

    The concept was almost more than he could understand, the way the sisters felt about one another, tied so closely together, giving so freely to one another without any thought of return.
    Smiling, El e tugged at his hand. “Come on. Let’s see what our wedding gifts are.â€
    Jackson was almost afraid to look after seeing the piano. They peeked into another room, this one quite massive, and discovered a library, floor-to-ceiling books with a rol ing ladder that ran along al four wal s. High-backed plush armchairs with smal tables between each set provided cozy places to read, the lighting as perfect as Kate could get it for them and their children. There were reference books, classics, a foreign language section, every kind of fiction with Kate’s books prominent on a shelf.
    â€œShe signed them,†Jackson said, slipping one back onto the shelf. “And there’s an entire section of children’s books as wel as