Page 68 of Chronicles of a Rockin' Mess

“Hand me the beast,” I say as I reach down and pick up Asher. He puts his paws on my shoulders and starts licking me.

“Show me the damage,” I say to Maria as I walk inside. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the pillow stuffing has come from, because the second that I clear the foyer and walk into the kitchen, I see the white cotton and pillow remnants everywhere. The remaining shreds of the throw pillows from the sofas in the family room are literally all over the house. There are pieces on the sofa, the coffee table, the end tables, the floor, the fireplace, Asher’s doggie bed, his water bowl, and the kitchen floor. Entertainingly, his doggie bed is not shredded.

“So, I’ll be calling your decorator then,” I hear Lark say from behind me.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think Asher could be onto something. It’s doggy chic,” I retort.

“It’s doggy something,” Maria huffs as she comes to stand next to me with my parents in tow.

“Holy dog mess!” my mother cries out.

“Son, you sure you want a dog?” my dad asks.

I groan and roll my eyes toward the ceiling. I’m gonna need strength here. I know I don’t normally take charge. Hell, I’ve let my PAs, publicist, and manager run my life for several years, but I think I just reached my limit.

I turn around to face everyone. “Lark, you and my dad, if he’s up to it, can go grab Asher’s crate and get it set up in the family room. Mom, you and I are going to clean up this mess. Maria, do we have anything we can make for dinner here?”

“Yes, Mr. Grant. I will cook it for you before I head out,” Maria replies as she hands my mom a garbage bag. My dad and Lark are already pulling the crate out of the box from the garage and carting it into the family room. Once it’s assembled, I place Asher inside. He sits and wines until Lark gives him a toy to chew on, and then she and Dad join Mom and me as we continue picking up little pieces of white cotton. It takes the better part of an hour, but by the time we finish, Maria is done cooking, and Asher is passed out in his crate.

I examine the sofas, which have a few bite marks on them, but most of the damage is to the pillows. “Lark, I think we should hold off on the throw pillows until we get Asher trained up. No sense if having any more pillow mortalities.”

She laughs. “He really did a number.”

“Dinner is ready!” Maria calls from the kitchen.

“Thanks,” I reply as I watch her wipe down the counters. “Go ahead home, Maria. Lark and I can take care of the dishes.”

“You sure?” she asks. I nod.

“Goodnight then,” she adds as she takes off her apron and heads toward the garage.

I turn to see Lark pouring everyone wine in the dining room. I head in and take a seat next to her, across from my parents.

“How are you feeling, Dad?” I ask as I sit down.

“I’m fine. In fact, I’ve forgotten how I was feeling with all this doggie chaos,” he laughs.

“Good,” Lark and I respond at the same time. I look over at her, and she blushes. That pink creeping across her skin makes me think dirty thoughts, but my mom’s throat-clearing draws my attention back across the table.

“So, how have you been, Lincoln?” she asks, looking from me to Lark and back to me. Shit, nothing gets past my mom.

“Good. We have one more concert in a few days. It’ll be here in LA. And then, this tour is over, and we’re back in the studio,” I say.

“And, are you seeing anyone?” she asks. I narrow my eyes, but before I can answer, Lark pipes up.

“He’s been pretty busy with the tour.”

“Oh?” my mom responds.

“Yep. We all have. So how are you both doing, aside from hospital visits?” she asks, clearly trying to save me from my mom’s inquisition.

My dad laughs. “Well, until this little medical snafu, we were talking about taking a trip,” he says. I’m actually shocked. My parents haven’t taken a trip in…I honestly can’t remember.

“Wow, really?” I ask.

My mom nods. “Yep. We figured it was about time.”

“Where to?” Lark asks as she takes a slice of lasagna and hums her appreciation. I watch mesmerized as the fork slides between her perfect lips.

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