Page 65 of Dragon Charmed

Sienna walked in with a quiet step and a cautious smile. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just checking on you. Our meeting earlier was a lot to take in.”

He nodded. “It was.” He hated how careful she was being with him. He didn’t know what their dynamic had been prior to his disappearance other than Tessa’s comment about him helping raise her. “Do you want to sit down for a bit?”

The happiness that filled her eyes at that simple question had him kicking himself for not initiating some time with her sooner. But hell, he’d only been here for a day. He had to remember to cut himself some slack. They sat on the couch.

“I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“I am.” Should he share more with her? “I’m frustrated at not remembering, but I hope that won’t be for long.” Ben turned to face her. “How are you doing with all this?”

Her eyes widened. “Okay. I’m so happy you’re alive. It’s a miracle.”

He could tell she was holding back. “Except it wasn’t the reunion you would have hoped for since I don’t remember you.” She opened her mouth to protest, and he held up his hands. “You’re allowed to be frustrated, you know. The past fifteen months have been rough on you too.”

Sienna nodded. “You were missing and I held out hope that you were okay. But then when we found the remains in the cave…”

His heart hurt for her. “You thought I was dead and had to move on to help the clan.”

“Yes. As soon as it’s safe to let others know you’re alive, we can revert the clan leadership to you.”

He sat back. That was quick. “Do you not like running the clan?”

She gave him a puzzled look. “No. I…I like it, but it’s not mine to run.”

He shook his head. Had he run some sort of dictatorship? “Says who? I understand from talking with Eric and Marcus that you are doing a great job running the clan. Why would I take that from you?”

Now she was gaping at him. “When your memories are back, you’ll change your mind.”

He shrugged. That sounded a bit controlling. “Maybe or maybe not. We’ll have to see. Did I not have you helping me run the clan?”

She hesitated before responding. “No. You ran it on your own.”

He frowned. “And the company?”

“No. You oversaw that too.”

Hell. “Well that was shortsighted of me.”

And now she was gaping at him again.

“You stepped up and took over the clan when you thought I was dead. Didn’t miss a beat from what I understand. Shame on me for not having you be a part of things. Isn’t that the point of a clan, for us to work together?” Was his ego so big that he felt he had to do everything on his own?

Unlike her half smile from earlier, she beamed at him. “Yes. I always worried about how much weight you had on your shoulders after Father died. You had the clan and the business, and you took care of me.”

He smiled back at her. “Were you one of those teens from hell?”

She laughed. “Not too bad. You didn’t let me get away with too much.”

“Why do I have a feeling I was in over my head?” And how he wished he could remember.

“Maybe.” She held her pointer finger and thumb close together. “Just a little bit. But you were always there for me.”

At least he had done something right. He held out his arms, and she fell into them. He felt dampness on his shirt where her head rested, and he blinked back moisture from his own eyes. “You were here for the clan when I couldn’t be. I don’t know why I thought I had to do everything on my own in the past, but I won’t make the same mistake in the future.”

They sat for a while and talked about a variety of things, from the clan to stories of Sienna’s childhood and everything in between.

He was calmer than he’d been since he’d left Walter’s house. He hoped he would be able to remember who he was and then become a better version of himself for Sienna and the rest of the clan.

Sienna’s phone dinged and she glanced at it. “I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes.”