Page 53 of The Merriest Christmas

Seaver lifted the small silver circle.It fit into the palm of his hand perfectly, the same shape as a miniature hockey puck.I'd had it custom designed for him.

"A pocket watch?"

"No, a compass," Seaver said.

"Ah.Lame."

With that, no one else paid us any attention.But Seaver was examining the silver compass, no doubt reading the inscription.It said:

So you'll always find your way through the storm.

August 13th

Seaver looked up slowly, and when his eyes met mine, they were piercing.

"When did you get this made?" he asked.

I shrugged.

Maybe he didn't understand the meaning behind it.Hopefully, he didn't.

"I'm glad you gave it to me."Seaver ran his thumb across the words again."Very glad."

"Yeah well, in case you ever get lost, it should be helpful," I said.

Chase glanced over again."So, what's the significance of the date?"

I opened my mouth to tell him nothing, that it was just when I bought it.

But Seaver's smile stole my breath.

"August 13this my favorite day," he said, gazing straight through me into my soul, and I knew then.

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

"Why?" my brother asked.

"I met my favorite person on that day," Seaver said.

And my heart.

Oh, my heart, it melted.

CHAPTER 9

Emmy

Thankfully, I didn't throw myself at him.

Or cry.

My heart was already in a puddle, but I managed to hold it together.

Just.

After the presents were all open, my brothers insisted on playing a game.The sport would, of course, be baseball.Seaver got pulled in to even out the teams.While they were getting everything sorted, deciding who'd play what position and the batting order, that was when I made my escape.

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