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 stand around the entrance for a while, the four of us chatting about the snowstorm we had this week and the girls’ trip to Paris coming up in March, and I’m feeling more and more at ease.


But then my mother appears at the end of the hall and everyone stops talking, stops moving. I don’t even think we’re breathing. We all know what this moment means for her. For Alistair.


“Hi, Mom,” I say, after a few long seconds of silence. She hasn’t moved from her spot. “You remember Alistair.”


She only stares at him from the end of the short hall.


I turn to see Alistair staring right back at her. Summer and Winter feel the emotion in the room and step back a little, retreating to the staircase.


“Hello, Mrs. Kent.” Alistair takes a step forward.


But my mother hides her face and runs off, back into the kitchen. “I’m so sorry,” she cries. “Just give me a second!”


Chapter 61