The Heart Left Behind

hapter 31 I smiled .

Not entirely .

Its mainly to help me be a better parent to my son .

At the mention of my son , I noticed a flicker of surprise in Lorraines eyes .

Nonetheless , she quickly regained her composure .

She replied , Oh , so you have a child .

Would you mind telling me about him ? I hesitated for a moment before answering , His name is Jonas , and hes nine years old .

Hes a very thoughtful kid .

We continued chatting , and the conversation grew more relaxed .

Lorraine had a knack for keeping the discussion engaging and always found interesting topics to bring up .

Before we knew it , an hour had passed .

Hayden checked his watch and said , Its getting late .

We should head back to the office .

As we stood up to leave , Lorraine turned to me .

Mr.

Cole , it was really nice meeting you .

If you dont mind , perhaps we could stay in touch ? I thought it over and agreed , Sure , lets exchange numbers .

II With that , Lorraine and I swapped contact information .

As we walked out of the coffee shop , Hayden patted my shoulder and asked in a playful tone , So , what do you think ? Lorraines pretty great , isnt she ? I responded flatly , Yes , she seems nice .

Hayden grinned .

Well , maybe you should get to know her better .

You never know what might happen .

I didnt respond and quietly walked to my car .

Back in my office , I sat at my desk , lost in thought .

While Lorraine was undeniably lovely , I was unsure if I was ready to start dating again .

Just then , my phone rang .

It was Jonas homeroom teacher .

I quickly answered the phone .

The teacher said , Hello , Mr.

Joplin .

Jonas had a minor fall at the science museum and scraped his knee .

Its nothing serious , but we thought you should know .

I immediately stood up .

Thank you for letting me know .

Ill come get him right away .

After hanging up , I quickly gathered my things and went to look for Hayden .

I explained briefly , Hayden , Jonas got hurt at school .

I need to pick him up .

Hayden nodded understandingly .

Go ahead , dont worry about work .

Let me know if you need anything .

I shot Hayden a grateful look before rushing out of the office .

During the drive to school , my stomach was in knots .

Even though the teacher said it was not serious , I could not help but worry .

When I reached the school nurses office , I found Jonas sitting on a bed with a bandage on his knee .

Daddy ! Jonass face lit up when he saw me .

I hurried to his side , examining his injury .

Are you okay ? Does it hurt ? Jonas shook his head .

It doesnt hurt , Daddy .

I just tripped .

Im sorry for making you worry .

I hugged him gently .

Dont be silly .

Youve nothing to apologize for .

Im just glad youre okay .

After handling the necessary paperwork , I took Jonas out of school .

Daddy , are we going home now ? Jonas asked .

I thought for a moment before replying , Not just yet .

How about we grab some ice cream and then go shopping for toys ? Would you like that ? Jonas eyes sparkled with excitement .

Really ? Thats awesome ! As I watched the excitement on my sons face , I felt a warm sense of joy.

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