Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving’s Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he’d never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde’s life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair’s desperate eyes. Since the evil they encountered on that shore, his first love has been lost to him ... until he learns a friend’s wedding is to be officiated by a priest named Father Alistair Genet. Amid the rush of emotions, one thought crystallizes: Ryde’s love for Alistair has never died. It’s stronger than ever. But can it win over the repressed memories slowly tearing Alistair’s mind apart?

Craving's Creek

“We’re going to eat these in the park.” She shows me her stained hand. In it, she holds ten or twelve sour jawbreakers. “Wanna come?”


There’s nothing to do around here but draw obscene things on our jeans with Sharpie markers, or sit around the swings, stuffing sour candy into our mouths to see who’ll last the longest without spitting it out.


I’m not in the mood for either of those stimulating activities. “I gotta go home and babysit.”


“Yeah?” Sheryl stares at me. She’s beautiful in a vicious way. The kind of girl who might make it out of here. She’s bored enough to try and motivated enough to actually succeed. “Ever since Thing One and Thing Two were born, you’re always stuck at home.”


“Not true.” I play tough. With girls like Sheryl, you have to. “Anyway, I’ll see you at the party tonight.” I step back but nearly trip myself up on my big feet.


Chapter 3