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

Alistair looks over my shoulder at the browning sauce. “You can still save it, right?”


“Yeah,” I grumble. “Pass the milk.”


They both watch me pour and stir milk into the sauce. Sheryl is still quite moved by their little showdown and staring at the whiteness in the pot. Alistair touches my shoulder. “See, you saved it.”


Sheryl’s eyes meet mine over the pot, and I know what she’s thinking. Can you savehim?


I still don’t have the answer to that question.


In the door, Alistair and I watch my parents walking down to their car. “Thanks again,” I call out to them. I’m glad they were here tonight.


“Happy birthday,” my mother says for the thousandth time this evening, blowing me a kiss. “You two have a good night.”


I watch their car until it disappears at the end of my street. The sky is pink and orange at the horizon, and there’s a semblance of spring in the air. We’ve survived another Montreal winter. Alistair walks back in and I shut the front door.


Chapter 67