When with friends and family, there is never a dull moment.

-THEO

Caleb Parks' POV

Hand in hand, Peyton and I walk into the living room to a sight that I never knew was possible.

Shawn and Jacob were watching a movie, while Jack and Danny held Charlie and Taryn from tearing each other apart.

"You see the resemblance, right?" Peyton whispers to me while gesturing to the two girls who want to have a go at each other.

"Yep," I decide to speak up before I witness another beat down in less than forty-eight hours, but Jacob beats me to it.

"So, how was the all-day sex extravaganza?" He wiggles his brows.

Talk about awkwardness.

Everyone turns to look at us, and Peyton decides now is the time to cuddle. She shuffles closer to me, and I tighten my arms around her. If I were, to be honest, she is the stronger of us two, but you know what they say, chivalry isn't dead yet.

"Fucking finally," Taryn frees herself from Jack's grip and approaches us.

Peyton squirms under her questioning gaze but relaxes when Taryn smirks, her brows connecting with her hairline.

"How's your voice box?" She asks, and I have to keep myself from laughing.

"Uh... Good?"

Then a glare is thrown my way, "I thought we went over this. If she is still capable of walking and talking, you did a piss poor job, even I could do better, and I don't even own a dick."

Her rant is cut short when Jack decides to be a good best friend and help a brother out. He wraps his hands around her waist from behind and rests his head on her shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, you can show me your expertise." He grins when she looks over her shoulder and shoots him a glare.

"I always wonder what possessed me to sleep with you."

With a playful scoff, Jack matches their usual banter, "Whatever you say, Trish, whatever you say."

Then Taryn decides to bless my eyes. She turns around in his hold and lands a quick kiss on his face.

"My eyes! My sweet innocent eyes." Jacob whines from the couch and covers his face with one of his hands but still peeks through them.

"The only thing right about that statement is that there are eyes on your face." Peyton sends a jab in his direction.

Jacob scoffs and holds his chest to feign hurt, "Peyton, not you too."

Taryn and Jack moved away to the other side of the room, most likely for Taryn's expertise to be shown. I internally shudder from just the thought of it.

Danny comes up to us with a grim expression. He looks from Peyton to me, but his eyes hone in on my hand wrapped around her waist.

"If you hurt her," He gestures to Peyton as if she is not here and gives me a piercing gaze. "Brother or not, I will make you fall off the face of the earth."

I never knew I would feel shaken up by a sibling before, but I never did think I had a blood-related sibling.

Then he turns his gaze to Peyton, and they soften, "You okay?"

She looks at me, "I think I will be."

Danny pulls her from my grasp, wraps his hands around her, and she reciprocates the hug.

Call me crazy, but I am dating my half-brother's stepsister. Am I the only one seeing the double meaning of this?

Charlie comes barreling my way and jumps. I put my hands up to shield two of my money makers, but she simply lands on me.

I fell like a log of wood while she straddled my waist and held a wooden comb to my throat with a murderous expression on her face.

"What are your intentions with my best friend, mister?" Her eyes harden when she sees my hesitancy.

Can you blame me? She has a comb aimed at my throat, and since I have been in this same situation with Taryn but a high-heeled shoe. I can promise you that thing is as sharp as nails.

"Chars!" Peyton groans but makes no move to help me.

Danny sighs and whispers to Peyton but loud enough for all of us to hear, especially the crazy girl on top of me.

"Remind me again, why do I love this girl again?"

Charlie's murderous expression wavers, but only for a second before it returns tenfold.

She inched the comb closer to my throat, "I suggest you answer unless you want us to make a deal and trust me when I say that it won't be pretty."

I let out a dry cough, "I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That's if she lets me."

I look at the topic of our conversation, and she is hiding her blush-stained cheeks in Danny's chest.

"Interesting. I hope you won't ever make her cry?"

"Never,"

When I saw Peyton break down last night. I swore to keep her happy. A promise that I am willing to keep till heaven knows when.

"You will stand with her through thick and thin?"

I nod. Jacob releases a snort from his place on the couch.

"What is this, a wedding?"

Without moving her gaze from me or the comb from the base of my throat, Charlie uses her free hand to fling a comb towards Jacob.

My jaw drops. She didn't even look back to take aim. It hits him square on the forehead, and

"As we were saying?" She flips her hair to the other side of her shoulder to closely look at me.

Dismissing the words that Jacob was swearing in her direction.

"I promise Charlie, I'll take good care of your best friend." I look the said person in the eye with a sincere expression on my face.

Charlie lowers her weapon and looks thoughtful for a moment, "Well then, I'll allow you to continue to sleep in her room if I get a copy of your empatía album?"

I smirk, "Deal."

"So I am worth a CD filled with music? I thought we were friends, Charlie?" Peyton pretends to be hurt, but the wicked smirk on her face gives her away.

Charlie helps me up whilst ignoring her best friend. "I expect the CD by noon tomorrow."

Then she turns to Peyton, "You get to have all of him to yourself. I never pegged you for being a selfish bestie."

At the playful insult, Peyton grins, but before she could make a comeback, Jack beats her to the punch.

"Now that we are over the fact that they spent the night together, can we finally get to eating dinner?" He whines. "Shawn made his famous chocolate soufflé; I've been craving it all day."

"Correction Ed, the only thing you have been craving is to get Taryn in a corner," Jacob says before turning to Shawn. "You heard him, brother. Let's get this show on the road."

Shawn grunts and slams a pillow at Jacob's face before getting up from the couch and walking towards the kitchen while we trail after him.

"You two are brothers?" Charlie gestures her pointer finger from Jacob to Shawn.

"Yup, but he's too grouchy for my taste." Jacob groans, but we both know that's a lie.

If I know those two as well as I do, they are sort of like how Peyton behaves when it comes to her sister Lola ready to protect at all costs.

We walked into a room which had a dining table that could hold a small country.

"You wouldn't happen to have a smaller dining table, now would you?" Taryn asks.

"Yea, it's over here." Peyton unwraps my hand from her midsection and leads us through another door. There is a small round table with enough chairs for each of us.

Since it's a round table, everyone can be seen. We all sit, but Danny and Jack strategically sit between Taryn and Charlie.

Shawn walks in with some women and men dressed in formal outfits that set the table for us.

After they finish, Shawn lays a feast to feed a nation. Does he think we all have the same stomach capacity as Jack?

He lays down chicken confit, Salmon en papillote with Quinche Lorraine. I'm guessing the chocolate soufflé is dessert.

Jack lets out a loud smacking of his lips which causes all the women at the table to glare death in his direction.

"You can glare all you want, but when it comes to food, I have as many manners as a pig when he sees a mud puddle." He waves his hand dismissively.

Taryn rolls her eyes, "So that makes you a pig ninety-two per cent of the time." She says as if it's a statement and not a question.

"Speaking of which, I spend that percentage making you scream my name. You have as many manners as I do."

Jacob groans, "Keep it in the bedroom. We are trying to eat over here."

Shawn takes the last empty seat, and we all join hands to say a small grace.

Jack reaches for the serving spoon, but Shawn uses his knife to hit him.

"Dude, what gives?"

Never get in the way of Jack and food; it only leads to a reenactment of world war two.

"The chef serves the people present, and as etiquette dictates, ladies first." He then spoons some of the main dishes into Peyton's plate before doing the same to Taryn and Charlie.

"You can talk?" Charlie asks, still yet to recover from her shock of hearing Shawn speak for a while now.

"Did you think I was mute?" Shawn spares her a warm grin.

"Well, you don't talk much, now do you?"

In reply, Shawn gestures for her to eat her dinner.

Immediately the fork makes contact with Charlie's mouth, and she groans.

"This is fucking good."

We all hum in agreement which makes our quiet friend smirk with pride.

"Would it be bad if I asked you to stay and make Danny go back with you guys?" She directs at Shawn and me.

Danny scoffs at her request, "Just because he can cook, Chars doesn't make him a fucking..."

"Language, I'm trying to eat." Jack interferes with annoyance as he looks up from his meal to Danny.

"Oh, that's rich. You can tempt your girlfriend with innuendos, and I can't do the same to mine?" Danny cocks his head to the side as if sizing Jack up.

The testosterone level in this room just keeps rising.

"I suggest you guys don't start a fight unless you want us girls to kick your asses." Peyton waves her fork in a circle meeting the glares from Danny and Jack with an amused smile.

"Damn straight, sister," Taryn smirks and raises her glass of water.

"While we are on the topic of ass-whooping, which one of you lovely ladies has the largest because you are making me dizzy?" Jacob waves his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ooo, can you give us some dry jokes? Danny said you are really good?" Charlie says.

"Please do not get him started." I groan while looking at Jacob with pleading eyes.

But like the Devil he is. He sends a wink in my direction and begins throwing dry jokes and picking up lines left and right.

"If I had known I would perform tonight, I would have asked Caleb to be my opening act."

I groan and sink further in my seat, knowing he is about to begin.

"Have you heard the rumour about butter? Never mind, I shouldn't be spreading it."

"How was heaven when you left?"

"What do you call a fly without wings? A walk."

"Like a cat, I have nine hearts, but you stole them all."

"Did you see the documentary about Beavers? It was the best damn show I ever saw."

"Let's get a burger, you be the buns, and I'll be the patty."

I feel a tug on my hand; I look to my right and see Peyton gazing at me with a small smile. She gestured for me to come closer.

"What do you see?" She motions to the view before us.

Jacob continues with his skilful talent with words. Charlie and Taryn are trying their best not to fall out of their seats while laughing. Jack and Danny hold onto their grimacing looks while Shawn is giving his brother a look of disapproval, but the slight tug of his lips lets me know that it's all a façade.

"I see a room full of people who are connected in more ways than one," I grab her hand and squeeze it affectionately. "Even though one person is missing. It's still a happy occasion."

"You're not wrong, but do you want to know where my mind was on the lines of?" She smiles slightly.

"What?"

"I've made a lot of shitty deals but for what it's worth. I wouldn't change this moment for anything 'cause this is the best deal that I have ever made."

I find myself grinning like a loon when I kiss the side of her head. And we watch the people we call family bicker and take cheap shots at each other.