A disappointed huff escaped as Savannah peered into the empty mailbox. It had been seven long days since they'd visited the lab. Every day, she checked the mail after school, but each day, nothing.

She combed her fingers through her hair and peered down the street, hoping to spot the mail carrier. How long did a simple, teeny, tiny DNA test take? The gathering of the sample had been quick and painless, even if it felt awkward being there with both her dad and the man who was in all likelihood her father. She yanked open the front door, letting it swing shut with a bang as she entered the house.

"Easy there." Her dad looked up from his task of sorting paperwork, his eyebrows rising as she stomped into the room.

"The results aren't here." Savannah dropped onto the chair across from her dad with a grimace, pushing a pile of paper out of the way. "They're taking forever." She drummed her fingers against the tabletop.

Her dad held up an envelope and waved it in the air. "I was tempted to open it, but perhaps you want the honors?"

"Finally." Savannah grabbed at the piece of mail.

Ross pulled his hand back, keeping it out of her reach. "Remember, if the results aren't what you hoped, you need to stop searching and wait until you're eighteen. You promised, right?"

"Cross my heart." She swept her finger across her chest. "I won't search anymore. It's just he was right there and so easy to talk to." She stared at the envelope as he placed it on the table, keeping his hand on top. Her knee bounced and her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to lunge across the table and grab it.

"Well, he's very straightforward and seems a good person. I suppose he's not a crazy person or a stalker." He extended the envelope.

Savannah snatched it from his fingertips, holding it close to her chest while she took a deep breath. After ripping it open, she unfolded the enclosed papers. Her hand rose, and she pressed her fingertips to her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes.

Conclusive, 99.99%, Aiden James Thomas Franklin Hamilton is not excluded as the biological parent of Savannah Jayde Phillips.

"I'm sorry, honey." Her dad's voice cut into her thoughts. "It was a long shot, right? Now you can put it to rest."

"No. Look." Vanna leaped from the chair, swiping at the tears. "He's my father." She shoved the papers at him, bouncing on her toes as her dad inspected them. "Aiden explained this while we were waiting at the lab. This is a positive result."

It seemed forever before he looked at her. "Wow."

Savannah smiled widely, her tears drying as the initial shock passed. She reclaimed the papers and examined them again, looking at the number in case she'd misread it. 99.99%. There was absolutely no doubt. "I found him. I can't believe it. Aiden's my father." Her hand went to her lips and she nibbled on her nails. "I wonder if he knows. Can I phone him?"

"He said you could call anytime. I'm sure he'll have the results by now. It's surreal you found him on your trip." Her dad's head bobbed as he mumbled, "What are the odds?"

Savannah pretended she hadn't heard the last part. "I was pretty sure. How many baby girls could be put up for adoption on the same day in one hospital?"

"Hard to say. The information's private."

"That was rhetorical, Daddy. We can't know definitively. Logically, even if half of the babies born were girls, there couldn't have been more than one or two babies given up for adoption that same day."

Ross rolled his eyes. "You spend too much time on Google."

Maybe she had spent too much time analyzing the situation. She'd thought of nothing else since Aiden had visited Portland, but she didn't care. The final goal was in sight and she'd found the Aiden Hamilton.

"You're a touch scary some days, but intelligence is supposed to be hereditary. You could have done worse in the genetic lottery of life."

Genetic lottery? Savannah wrinkled her nose. Sometimes her dad was so weird. "I'm phoning Aiden." She covered the shorts steps to the fridge, snagging the card with his contact information and dialing. As it rang, she paced and twirled a strand of hair around her fingertip.

"Aiden?" Her voice shook as his greeting flowed down the line. Breathe. Breathe.

"Savannah. How are you?"

"Incredible. I got the results. Did you?"

"Yup. How are you feeling?"

"It's amazing, Aiden," she said and pursed her lips. "Do I still call you Aiden?"

"Sure." His voice sounded calm. "Now we have the results, I'd like to see you again so we can discuss things. Maybe? I don't quite know what you want to do next."

"Yes. Come see me. I have so many questions." Savannah continued to pace and fiddle with her hair. "When can you visit?" She glanced at her dad, who looked up from where he'd been pretending to be engrossed in his paperwork.

"What does your dad think?" Aiden asked. "It's okay with him if I visit again?"

"He's surprised I found you, but how could he refuse?"

"He doesn't have to let me visit you."

"He will, though," Savannah said. "I have tons of things to ask you about my mother. I mean, how you met ..." She rambled on for another minute before pausing to take a deep breath.

"All in good time. Can I talk to Ross?"

"Yeah." Savannah thrust the phone at her dad, almost dropping it in her haste.

Her dad managed to rescue it before it fell, indicating she should calm down with a small downward motion of his hand.

She paced to the fridge, poured some juice and then tidied the stack of mail on the counter. Anything to occupy herself. She gnawed on a fingernail as she half-listened to her dad talking to Aiden.

"Yes, that'll be fine." Her dad frowned, staring at her hand as he held out the phone.

She yanked her finger from her mouth. "Hello?"

"Savannah? All set. I'll fly out on Wednesday. It'll be better to talk in person. I have to get back to work, but I'll see you soon."

"Yes. I'll see you then. Bye." Her heart sang with joy, knowing she'd see him in a few days. She bounced down the hallway to her room and flopped onto her bed, flutter-kicking her feet against the mattress. At long last, she'd found Aiden Hamilton. She lay there for a full minute, savoring the moment before she dug out her dog-eared journal. This day would remain etched in her memory forever.

----

Savannah stared at the trail of red ink as her pen weaved across the paper. She tilted her head, considering the flowing script along the edge of the notebook. Aiden Hamilton. Her father.

"Earth to Vanna."

The sharp poke of a fingertip against her shoulder made her jump. "What?" She offered her friend a blank stare as she flipped her book closed.

"Could you help with my stuff?" Leanne leaned on her crutches and tapped the cast encasing her leg.

As they were in most of their classes together, Savannah had been elected to carry Leanne's book bag. Not that she minded. Her friend would do it for her if the situation was reversed. "Oh right. Sorry. Must have drifted into a coma due to the riveting subject matter." Savannah forced a giggle as she rose from the hard plastic chair, stuffing her notebook and pens in her own bag before grabbing her friend's pack.

"You're in luck." Leanne grinned. "It's time for our favorite subject."

"Lunch?" She rolled her eyes, but followed her friend as she maneuvered through the crowded hallway toward the cafeteria.

"You're lost in space. What's up?" The other girl asked as they claimed seats on one of the benches and opened their lunch bags. "You've been grouchy and moody all week."

Savannah snorted. "It's only Tuesday."

"Your grouchiness makes it feel like Thursday. Are you upset about Justin?" Leanne motioned toward the other side of the cafeteria where the aforementioned boy goofed around with his friends.

"No." Savannah bit into her ham and cheese sandwich, spying on Justin from the corner of her eye. Before she left for Chicago, she'd hoped the guy would ask her out, but now her thoughts were elsewhere.

"It doesn't bother you he's flirting with Christina? They've been hanging out a lot."

"Well, it does. He's changed so much, and I wish ..." She sighed. The scrawny, short boy who followed her like a puppy last year was gone. Over the summer, he'd developed into a tall, acne-free, buff, undeniably hot guy who now seemed interested in Christina, the girl whose family had money and bought her everything she'd ever wished or dreamed of having.

"He'd ask you out? Last year he tried, Vanna."

"Last year I was sad about my mom, and I didn't want to date. My dad would never let me anyway. He says no dating until I'm sixteen, which is another year away. What would be the point?"

"Believe me, I get it. Your dad is bad, but my mom is worse. And how do we compete with perky, perfect Christina?"

"We don't." Savannah shrugged before taking another bite.

Tall, beautiful, blonde Christina dressed in the latest trendy fashions and was blessed with an appealing and smiley personality. Savannah's dad never bought her those kinds of clothes, nor did they have the money for them.

"So what? If it's not Justin ..." A sassy grin appeared. "I bet," Leanne whispered, "it's about your mad crush on my hottie doctor in Chicago. He's a touch old, don't you think?"

Savannah's stomach lurched as she stared wide-eyed at her friend. "Ewww, no. I'm not ..." She shook her head. "Bite your tongue. I am not crushing on Aiden."

"Aiden, huh." Leanne snickered. "Denial. If you're not madly in love, how do you know his first name? It's a sexy name. Doctor ... Aiden ... Hamilton ..." Her friend wiggled her brows as she enunciated each syllable in a sing-song voice. "Even the nurses drooled over him. Admit it. He's hot."

She cringed. "Don't say hot and definitely stop with the s word. Not about him. It's ... disturbing."

"What's with you?" Her friend's brows shot upward. "He is though, and he's sooo nice. Thanks to him, I ate burgers with fries and milkshakes while the other patients suffered with mystery meat." A giggle escaped, but her excitement faded at the dark look from Savannah. "Seriously. What's the issue?"

"His name is ... Aiden ... Hamilton," Savannah said in a low voice. "Doesn't that sound the tiniest bit familiar?"

Leanne tilted her head, her brow furrowing in concentration before her eyes widened. "Wait. Isn't Hamilton the name on the back of ...?" She slapped her hands over her mouth. "No. No ... no way." Her head wagged back and forth. "Do you think he's related to the guy in the photo? Maybe he's your uncle."

"Shh." Vanna pressed a finger to her lips. "He's not my uncle. It's him. Dr. Hamilton is my father."

Leanne giggled. "Are you sure? How would you know it's him in the picture?"

She sucked in a breath. "Because we did DNA testing. Aiden's my biological father."

Leanne's mouth dropped open and she stared at Savannah.

"Say something," Savannah muttered.

"You. Are. Kidding." Leanne maneuvered her good leg over the bench so she faced her friend. "You are kidding. Aren't you?"

"No. It's really him." She dug in her bag and pulled out the slightly tattered envelope. "My father is a thirty-year-old doctor in Chicago."

Leanne snatched it from her fingers. "You're serious." Her eyes widened as she read the enclosed paper. "He was fifteen when you were born?"

"Uh-huh." She sucked up the last of her juice.

"I don't know what to say. This is incredible news."

"I never thought it would happen for real. I had no idea who he was until another doctor called him Aiden and it clicked." Savannah frowned at the recollection, the details of the lovely dark-haired woman saying his name in that soft voice becoming clear in her mind. "She flirted with him. After that, he looked like he knew I was inspecting him."

"What does your dad think?"

"My dad freaked when he found out I'd gone for lunch with Aiden. Imagine how long I'd be grounded if he knew Aiden took me to dinner and I rode in his car."

"You went for dinner with him? You didn't tell me any of this. How could you not tell me?"

"I'm sorry." Savannah furrowed her brow. "I didn't know what to do. Aiden said I shouldn't say anything to anyone until I talked to my dad. He didn't want it to become a big deal, you know? In case he wasn't my father."

"Well, my parents would be pissed. Meeting a stranger in a big city and sneaking around?" Leanne's head bobbed. "Wow. He's your father. That still freaks me out."

"You don't have to tell me."

"He asked if we were good friends, and I told him yes. When the accident happened, I was terrified, but you were there and made me feel better. The nurses said how lucky I was to have such a great doctor. They were gaga over him," Leanne said. "What about your mother? He's not married, is he? I never saw a wedding ring."

"They're not together, but that's all I know. He's single. No other kids." The corners of her mouth turned down. The news she didn't have siblings disappointed her. She'd always wanted a sister or brother. "Aiden's coming for another visit." A frisson of excitement built inside. By tomorrow night, she hoped to have answers.

"So you'll meet her?" A smile appeared.

"I hope so." Vanna wrapped her arms around herself, fighting the smile. Finding her mother was something she wished for with her entire heart.

"Was she fifteen too?"

"Aiden said they were both teenagers and too young. Can you imagine?"

"Nope. My parents would freak if I had a baby. I don't even know how I'd tell them. Your dad would flip out. I don't even like to think about it."

"He'd probably chain me in the basement and never let me leave the house ever again. Being grounded for two weeks is bad enough."

"But he's still allowing you to see Aiden? That's not so bad."

"You're right." Savannah consoled herself with the thought that it was a small price to pay for finding Aiden Hamilton, and she'd do it all again if it led to realizing her precious dream. To know her mother.