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

“Hey, are you okay?” I touch his shoulder. “What are you doing?” There’s a small pool of orange vomit a few feet from where I stand. “Did you puke?”


He slowly stands up. His face is very white. His eyes are haunted.


“Are you all right?” I try catching his eye, but he’s looking away, at something I can’t see. “Alistair? Talk to me.”


“The car and the oranges made me sick, I think,” he finally says, tearing his stare off whatever he was fixing on.


I lead him around the van and find a box of juice for him. “Drink a little.”


“Sweetie, are you all right?” My mom is holding both girls on her hips, but managing to help my dad anyway. “You look a little pale.”


“He’s all right,” I answer for him.


“Ryde, you’re gonna give your old man a hand here or what?”


Chapter 22