Where Would I Be Without You - By CJ Hawk Page 0,80

went hand in hand with his blonde surfer shag and six-pack of abs.

Right this second, as my face and name were being splashed across entertainment news by my replacement; there was no longer a hand in hand or a promotion. There was just Snickerdoodles, the little pea pod growing in my belly and me. This poor thing didn't have a chance in my crazy world, yet alone what kind of mother would I make? Somehow, the nagging feeling in the back of my head told me that I would keep it. I picked up the fifth pregnancy test with the pink positive sign and stared at it a bit longer. Long enough to make my eyes feel cross and my fingers twitch.

Just as I was about to eat the last Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie in the bag, Snickerdoodles made a loud meow and jumped out of my lap and off to the floor heading for the front room. I paused for a second and muted the low volume I had going on the TV. If I didn't know better that was the sound of my front door being opened and the only three people that had a key were Crispin, Lisa and my sister Claire. The last thing on my mind lately was to change the locks.

Then, there was her voice. "Julie Marie Howland." Not the name Lisa or Crispin called me. They called me by my stage name Jules Hone. My acting manager gave it to me, said it had a certain ring to it, kind of Starlet factor. Right now, it sounded like nails on a chalkboard every time I heard my name in the news.

As she rounded the corner to my bedroom with Snickerdoodles in hand, she had a look of concern on her face. "I don't know if I am madder at the fact that Lisa and Crispin did this to you, or that you didn't tell me first. How the heck can I not be excited about being an aunt, but not telling me first? Not to mention the fact that you got it on with 'the' next big Hollywood hunk. I would have liked to know about that incident, like every frigging detail."

I looked at her with puppy-dog eyes and slowly crawled out of my bed with cookie crumbs falling onto the floor while trying to get up and give my baby sister a huge hug, which I needed so desperately right now. I needed someone on my side, not just by phone but also in person to help me through this ordeal.

After a long tender hug from my baby sister and a white fluffy cat meowing at our legs, winding in and out and around, we pulled apart and laughed.

"So here's how it's going to play out." She put up her hand to stop me from talking. I was usually the older sister in charge so this felt different. "I talked with mom and dad; they can't fly back from the Bahamas for another two days. I told them to finish out their golf vacation there and that you and I were going back to Alabama. You my dear, get to come on back in my family minivan and stay in the twin's bedroom until we figure out what to do next."

"Oh I don't think so Claire. I mean I would love to come see the girls but... wait a minute. You drove all the way here from bama in the family minivan? That's over thirty-hour drive. The news just hit forty-eight hours ago."

"Hell have no furry like a pissed-off baby sister from Alabama. By the way, silly, it takes three hours to get to the nearest airport by our house. I flew here but I had to drive to the airport, not to mention driving through LA traffic to get here during rush hour. Ron's got the girls covered, and I told him there was nothing stopping me from driving straight to the airport. There was a jack knifed semi incident that held me up for a bit, but it was a straight shot except for gas, piss and go, and not all in that order. Girls are thrilled to see you, and Ron is setting up the new trundle bed in their room. You get Lil's bed, and she will sleep on the trundle bed that May got. We got one for Lil too, but Ron said he would only have one bed up, by the time we got back. So