Keep To The Script (Complete)

~ Chapter 18 ~

"How many times did you and your siblings shove each other in there?"

"Enough times to give my mom a heart attack. The only good thing is that we got that when we were all older, and we all knew how to swim. I swear that's a requirement of being a kid out in California, especially this close to the ocean. The house didn't come with it, it's something my parents invested in. My mom loves water but hates dealing with the crowds at the beach, so they saved hard to get this. You could probably find my mom out here any night when she doesn't have some type of family gathering."

"She didn't have to go all this work for me."

"Oh trust me, JD, she likes you, but she didn't. Sunday evenings are family times anyway. The fact that we're here just makes mom happier as I don't come nearly as much as I should, and she often reminds me of that fact." Judith kept her eyes on the man for a few moments before looking out at the backyard. She found it odd that a man who was so family orientated, didn't come up often enough to have meals. Then again, given what an actor's job was like and how demanding it was, she couldn't fault him much.

She would have guessed that being some upcoming star meant he had a lot more films to take on which meant some grueling times. And that was just one set, what if he took on two at once? It wasn't a common thing for actors to do, but she knew she had heard of some doing it. Usually, it wasn't big parts, and working around each other wasn't impossible, but she would gather it was busy.

"Are you going to hide away the whole night?" Her head turned and she took in the younger-looking woman who stood in the doorway.

"Tio Angel," a little girl said as she ran outside and plopped in her uncle's lap.

"Hey munchkin," he said, kissing the little girl's plump cheek. "Lupita, this is Judith, Judith, my last sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Judith," Lupita said, walking over and holding her hand out. Judith took and offered the woman a kind smile.

"Same here."

"You don't have to lie; I know we're a rowdy bunch to take in. Have the guys given you a hard time?"

"Yeah, I think that's why Angel thought an escape out here would be best," Judith answered, causing Lupita to laugh as she pulled out another chair at the table.

"I'm not surprised. Angel loves to give his brothers shit, but very rarely does he take it. One time," Lupita started but Angel cut her off.

"No, no stories. It is not time to go all there with her." Lupita tilted her head and gave her younger brother a very serious look.

"Then why did you bring her if not for her to get the gossip on you?" Judith covered her laugh and made it a point to ignore the glare that Angel shot at her. Oh, she was quite looking forward to getting any stories that she could.

"Give me all you got," Judith told Lupita, who grinned.

"So, this one time, the guys were out here horsing around and Angel thought it would be a grand idea to start shoving his much older and bigger brothers into the pool. He managed to get Jesus and Dante in, but when he went to shove Richie, the man grabbed him and yanked him. He got out of the water so fast and went in crying to mom, begging her to tell his brothers to leave him alone, that he didn't want to play with them like that." Judith busted out laughing, earning another sharp look from Angel. "He tends to dish out, but I swear, not sure why he can't take it."

"Enough, Lupita. Come on guys, the food is getting cold," their mom called. Judith followed Lupita in and over to the huge table that was beautifully set and overly filled with loads of food.

"Enjoy," Angel whispered in her ear as they sat down. She wasn't sure what to try first, but by the delicious smell that kept wafting to her, she was sure everything would be so amazing.

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Three hours later, Judith was stuffed to the gills, and her belly ached from the laughter that she couldn't seem to stop. Being with his family reminded her of her own, they all were the same way, picking on each other, teasing each other, and enjoying each other's company, even if it seemed like it was in question half the time. She hated to see the night draw close, but she knew that they had an early day on set and knew they needed to get on the road before it got too late for him.

She hugged his siblings, and his mom, thanking her for such a generous and quite yummy meal. The older woman just shrugged and said she enjoyed the company and made a mention of hopefully seeing Judith later on. Judith wasn't sure why, but she hope she saw the woman again too. In fact, she could picture quite a few scenes and trips with this family.

"Let's get going," Angel told her, walking out to his car. He opened her door and she turned to him, a smile on her face.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he wrinkled his brows.

"For what?"

"For bringing me. I had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed your family; you have a great bunch in there and I really hope you never lose sight of that." She paused another second, not wanting to get in the car yet. "I'd also like to see them again." She wasn't sure what part of what she said caused the grin on his face, but something did. And before she had time to react, his hands were cupping her cheeks, and his lips were brushing against hers before settling on them. Her hands flew to his waist, holding on as that kiss seemed to cause her to float and she knew she needed to be grounded.