It’s here, my wedding day. I’m a horrid mix of excitement and joy, tainted by apprehension that I’ll fail. Not at being a husband. Kyle and I are meant to be together, but at walking down our aisle. My walk will not be made easier by the multitude of tree roots. Kyle and I took a trip out there the other day to have a look at how things were progressing.

“It’s a shame you can’t have the rowing boat you wanted,” I say.

“No it’s not. It would have been more of a shame if I didn’t have you. I was just being bloody minded about everyone rowing to the island; it’s the rebel in me. This speedboat is way better. It’s a kind of fate. Don’t feel bad.” He hugs me to him as our driver takes off and the back end of the boat dips low in the lake.

“You can’t escape speed, even when you’re supposed to be sick.” Kyle kisses me, laughter spread over his features as the engine roars across the otherwise still water.

I know what I’m in for today, which should be a good thing. But it’s filling my heart with angst I’m unwilling to accept. ‘What if I take a tumble and then can’t get back up?’ I’ll be the laughingstock then and the whole wedding will be about me and this blasted accident and not about how much Kyle and I are in love.

It half crosses my mind whether I shouldn’t just arrive early and stand at the front waiting for Kyle as we’d planned before all of this injury thing kicked off, but if I do that, I’ll always feel like I chickened out. As though I took the easy option. And I’ve worked so hard for this moment, I can’t live with that regret hanging over the rest of my life. I have a point to make and like any big event on the racing calendar, I have a chat with myself. My nerves are perfectly natural. And I know I’ve put the work in to get through this. And I know how strong my will is. There is no reason for me to fail.

I dress in my specially chosen shorts and t-shirt and although dressing isn’t as simple as it used to be, I thank goodness Kyle went for the laid back dress code.

I’m ready early.

I make my own way outside to wait for the car there. It’s a glorious day. The sky is the color of sapphires with a few pearly clouds whispering through. My adrenaline is pumping and I take the opportunity to suck in some deep breaths, to inhale the mountain air before my moment of truth.

When my car arrives to drive me to the ceremony, it’s only a ten minute jaunt down to the speedboat and onward over the water. The cool spray is welcome as I sit alone this time on the wooden bench at the back of the motorboat, clinging onto the handrails to support my balance. Without Kyle at my side, my route feels more precarious.

“Come on Elliott, you can do this,” I say under my breath as I wobble on the edge, willing my legs to accept the instruction from my brain and take the step onto dry land without lunging me face down into it.

“Would you like a hand with that?” I hear his voice before I see him, so focused am I on my task. All my apprehension melts away with those deep tones.

“I would very much like your hand.” I wink, relief flooding my nervous system as I catch a glimpse of the gorgeous man who will become my husband in less than an hour.

His eyes sparkle as he grabs me. “For better or worse, eh?” And then he wraps those huge arms around me, and he lifts me clear of the boat as though he were lifting me over our threshold. “We’re going to do this together Mr. Judd.”

He runs me up the short path to the top of the hill with me bobbing around over his shoulder. As I plant down on the ground again, all out of breath from screaming, he holds me steady until I stabilize.

That's when the ripple starts rolling through our guests as they stand and clap and we walk down the aisle together, forever as one.

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