Impossible by Laurel Curtis

I at least get to know his name?” I asked.
    “Coleman Cade, the third.”
    My head tilted to the side at the same time that my eyes narrowed. “Is that a joke?”
    He shook his head at the same time that he confirmed, “Nope, Banty. Believe it or not, it’s the truth. We call him Three.”
    “What happens if CJ has a son and wants to carry on the family name?”
    “Then I guess my grandson’ll be named after a horse.”
    I pursed my lips, raised my brows, and rocked my head just slightly back and forth before answering, “Well, as long as it’s a reality you’re aware of and prepared for.”
    Evidently tired of talking, he gave Three a light smack on the ass and off I went.
    I rode around the arena a few times, settling into the seat of the saddle and getting comfortable with Three’s movements. Thank God, he had a smooth gait and didn’t make me feel like my boobs were going to rip right off of my chest- something I had feared as I was lacking a sports bra. As I went, Coleman gave me pointers and corrected anything I was doing wrong. Then he let me ride around a couple of times on my own, just watching.
    Obviously satisfied with my skills, Coleman whistled for me to follow him out the gate, as he was up on the other horse and ready to go.
    Bumping Three with my heels a little harder, I moved faster so that I could walk next to him as we headed down the alleyway between pastures. I could see real farmland in the distance, the golden wheat swaying in the wind.
    I had just started to relax when he muttered, “Okay, Roni. Now or never. Tell me about yourself.”
    Ugh. Those were the absolute last words I wanted to hear. Now I had to figure out a way to give him enough information to satiate his curiosity, but keep my secrets safely tucked inside my head.
    I guess it took me too long to answer, because he spoke again. There was no frustration in his voice, just acceptance. “Okay, I’ll go first.”
    Thank God.
    “You know my name. You know that most people call me Cade. Obviously, I have a great son that looks and acts more like me everyday, but what you probably don’t know is that I had him when I was seventeen. I was no saint- I’m still not- but it rocked my world when I got his mom pregnant. I didn’t know what to do with myself or what I was going to do with him, but when I held him in my arms for the first time, I knew it was meant to be. Another time, another woman, and CJ wouldn’t be the kid that he is. Unfortunately, his mom didn’t feel the same. As soon as he was out of her body and the hospital cleared her, she was gone. For the most part, we haven’t missed her. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t missed the idea of her.”
    I was expecting him to share, but I was thinking more along the lines of “My favorite color is blue”. Instead, he was baring his soul, and I could tell from his tone that it was unlikely he did it often.
    Looking up at him I whispered, “Why are you okay with telling me all of this?”
    Shaking his head slightly, he answered, “To be honest with you, I don’t know.”
    He paused for a few seconds, his eyes roaming over my face like a physical touch the whole time. “There’s just something about you. I considered watering it down a little bit, feeding you the sweet talk I usually use, but when I looked at your face it was impossible not to tell you the truth. Like maybe you’ve been fed enough shit in your life, and it was time someone gave you respect instead.”
    He wasn’t exactly right. I had had some shit in my life, that was for sure, but it wasn’t because of people lying to me. Regardless, I felt the heavy weight of warmth in my chest as a result of him trusting me that much.
    We had pulled our horses to a stop, and when I looked up at him, I was sure my eyes were wet. I couldn’t tell him all of my secrets. I didn’t know him well enough, and I’d spent too much time trying to forget them.
    Truthfully, the second factor was the most important. I