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

At the sight of me, my mother’s face tightens, and I realize I must look bad. “Why didn’t you answer your phone,” she says, fixing my shirt as if she can tuck my life back into place. “Oh my, would you look at this place?” She smiles nervously and gives Sheryl a discreet look I catch. “You should have seen his room back in the day,” she tells Sheryl. “He sure knew how to keep a clean room.”


I hate the paleness of her face, her tense smile. She suffers too much. Why can’t she just give up on me?


“How you been?” Sheryl asks. Her tired eyes tell me she’s not doing too good herself. “We brought you some leftovers.” She offers me a bag full of Tupperware. So, I’ve become an invalid.


“You didn’t have to. My fridge is full.”


“Oh, it’s nothing, baby. Just little things from your father’s party.”


“No, it’s okay.” My mother is staring at the bottles on my mantle. “He understood that you couldn’t come. With the way you’ve been sick lately and everything.”


Chapter 35