little arms do a lot

I got home from work at 4:35am. I snuck into my girls room to kiss them on the head and check if their blankets were doing their jobs, as I always do. I kissed Drea, and whispered my love to her, and she barely stirred. Then I kissed Kira on her head. I whispered, as I always do, "Kira, you are my princess, and I love you more than all the world." Her arms shot out of the dark to wrap around my neck before I pulled my head away, and she said, "Daddy, if I'm your princess, then you are a king. I love you daddy." I couldn't do much but try not to let my heart explode, there in the dark, with my 5 year old's little arms locked around my neck. After a moment, her grip loosened, and her arms became limp (though still around my neck) as she fell back to sleep. I held there, not wanting the moment to end, until her breathing became that regular and deep breathing any parent will recognize when their kid is really asleep. As I slowly pulled away, I couldn't do anything but drop to my knees, and thank God for that little moment, and that little voice, and those little arms, and that giant heart.