Lilly was beautiful. Just like her mother.

Dean glanced at the sleeping bundle in his arms and back at the screen.

Both girls had the same nose.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dean’s head was swimming with too many concerns to go to work.

Katie had called and woken him just after five in the morning. They were all on their way to the hospital. She promised to call when she could.

Their conversation was kept short. Dean offered a play-by-play of his time with Savannah since Katie left. He could tell she was already missing her.

Dean spent the morning playing dad and called his mother to see how his sister was doing. They all still lived in Texas. At times like this, he would have liked to be closer. Visiting his brand-new niece would have to wait. At least for a little while.

The image of his niece and Savannah were stacked back-to-back on his cell phone. He flipped between the pictures so many times since the night before he should have worn out the function on his phone.

But no…the pictures kept coming up.

And the questions he’d started asking himself weeks ago doubled.

He was probably stabbing in the dark, but he had to know.

Dean wasn’t much for doctors, but he called his and asked to come in. A few clicks on the Internet provided him with enough information to know that finding out if he was Savannah’s father could be confirmed within a day.

Dean sat in the reception area of the doctor’s office with Savannah kicking away in the car seat. There was plenty of admiration from those around him.

“Oh, isn’t she precious.”

“Your daughter is beautiful. I’ll bet her mommy is, too.”

Dean accepted their compliments and kept his distance from those with obvious colds.

A nurse called him back and placed him in a room. With his chart in her hand, the nurse asked why he was in today.

“It’s kind of private. I’d like to keep it between the doctor and me.”

“Everything you do here is confidential, Mr. Prescott. But I’ll send in Dr. Ellis and await his instructions.”

“Thank you.”

Dean avoided sitting on the exam table and took the chair.

Savannah started to protest after being in the car seat for a half an hour. She wasn’t due to eat, but being cooped up probably wasn’t pleasant either.

The handle to the door twisted and Dr. Ellis slipped into the room.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Doctor.”

Dr. Ellis closed the door behind him and peeked into the car carrier. “And who is this?”

“Savannah.”

“She’s adorable.”

“Ah, thank you.” Dean squirmed in his seat, feeling all kinds of awful for doing this without Katie knowing. He told himself she couldn’t handle the additional stress. And if he could take one more question about Savannah off her plate, he’d do it.

“My nurse tells me you’re here for a private reason. I take it you don’t need another tetanus shot.”

Dean gave a grunt of a laugh. “No, I’m good there for another five years I think.”

“OK. Then what can I do for you?”

Savannah let out a cry that threatened to escalate. Dean found the clasp holding the pacifier and popped it into her mouth.

“It’s about Savannah. I need to know if she’s mine.”

Dr. Ellis’s gaze moved to the baby and back to Dean. “The mother says she is?”

“It’s complicated.”

The doctor leaned over Savannah and made a cooing sound before tapping on her nose. “She has your nose.”

Dean stiffened. “Yeah…I noticed that. But I need to be sure. And I’d like a rush on the lab work…if that’s possible.”

“Not a problem, Dean.”

Dr. Ellis removed two sterile swabs and proceeded to take a saliva sample off the inside of Dean’s cheek before doing the same on Savannah. Savannah sucked on the swab, squished her nose, then tried to spit it out.

“Not what you’re used to, is it?” Dr. Ellis teased.

After placing the swabs in vials and marking on the labels, he turned to Dean again. “I should have the results tomorrow afternoon, the next morning at the latest.”

Dean handed him his business card and circled his cell phone number. “Call me on this number.”

“I won’t leave a message,” he said. “I’ll wait until you pick up. If it’s easier, you can call here. I have a busy afternoon tomorrow.”

Dean stood and shook the doctor’s hand.

“Paternity tests can be emotional things, Dean. Are you prepared for whatever answers we’re going to find?”

Dean lifted the car seat and smiled at Savannah. “I’m taking care of this little girl regardless of what the tests say.” That he knew without a doubt.

“And the mother?”

The images of Katie and Maggie popped in his mind. “My feelings for Savannah’s mother aren’t going to change. I’m in this for the long haul, Doctor. For my own peace of mind, I need to know all the facts.”

Dr. Ellis patted him on his back. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I hope it all works out the way you want it,” he said.

A lack of sleep and the stress of seeing her mother for the first time in nearly a decade were thicker than the wet heat of a Florida summer.

The mechanical doors of the hospital opened automatically letting the three of them in. Katie kept her dark sunglasses on when they walked through the lobby. Both her father and her brother removed their cowboy hats in a sign of respect.