\"Mommy?"
"Yes?" Jess asked as she continued picking up the living room.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Jess said with a smirk.
"Mommmmyyy…" Kayla said, exasperated.
"Yes, you may ask me a question."
"How much do you love me?" Kayla asked seriously.
Jess, surprised at the question, stopped what she was doing and stared at Kayla. "What?"
"How much do you love me?" Kayla asked again.
"Why do you ask, honey?"
"I just wanted to know." Kayla said.
"Are you doubting I do love you?" Jess asked.
"No. Just want to know." Kayla said.
"Honey, I love you a lot." Jess answered. "You know that."
"Yeah. But I want to know how much."
"Okay." Jess said. She looked around to try and get an idea, then saw through the open window that it was a clear night. "Come here. Come outside with me."
Jess took Kayla's hand and walked with her outside to the front porch. The driveway looked empty without Sam's car there. He was on a business trip just out of town, and was due back early the next morning. Although Jess missed him, she relished the alone time with Kayla. Jess sat on the top step, next to the banister, and Kayla promptly climbed into her lap.
"Look up at the sky. You see all those stars?"
"Yeah." Kayla said.
"How many stars are up there?" Jess asked.
"I can't count that high, mommy." Kayla said.
"I love you more than all those stars up there in the sky."
"Really?" Kayla said.
"That's right." Jess said.
"Wow." Kayla whispered. "I love you too mommy."
"Awww." Jess said. She wrapped her arms around Kayla and kissed her cheek. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Can we stay out here for a while, mommy? Please?"
"It's time for you to go to bed soon." Jess said.
"Pleeeeeassse?" Kayla begged.
Jess smiled. "Sure. Get up for a second. I've got an idea."
When Sam was pulling into the driveway an hour later, home early from his business trip, he found Jess and Kayla in the yard in a lawn chair. Kayla was fast asleep, wrapped up in a blanket in her mother's lap. Jess's eyes were heavy, and when she saw the headlights from Sam's car, she pulled the blanket over Kayla to try and stop her from waking up. Sam opened the car door and came over slowly.
"What's going on?" he whispered as he leaned over to kiss Jess.
"Kay and I had to have a talk." Jess said. "I'll tell you about it later. Can you take her to bed?"
"Sure."
Sam lifted the sleeping Kayla from Jess's lap and walked inside with her. Kayla whined a little when she felt herself leave the warmth of her mother's lap, but calmed down at Sam's whispered "shh, Daddy's got you". Kayla sleepily slipped her arms around his neck as Sam carried her down the hall towards her room. Sam placed her carefully on the bed and tucked her in. Kayla grabbed her teddy bear, a present she'd gotten from her grandmother when recovering from the flu a month earlier. After watching her for a minute, Sam kissed her cheek and said quietly,
"Love you, Kayla bug."
"Love you too, Da'e." a very sleepy Kayla slurred. She said something else, but the only word Sam could make out was 'stars'.
"Stars?" Sam muttered.
"I'll explain. Come on, come to bed." Jess said from the doorway.
"Alright, I'm coming." Sam said, with one final kiss for Kayla. "Sleep well, sweet girl."