Tomorrow's Lullaby Read online

  Liv’s eyes narrowed. “Right. The ‘church’ thing.”

  “It’s not just a church thing.” It was everything. But Liv had never understood Sienna’s dedication to God.

  “Just because you date him doesn’t mean you have to marry him,” Liv said. “Date Aaron for fun. Christians are allowed to have fun, right?”

  “Dane killed the fun part for me.”

  Liv groaned, flopping back on the bed. “You were seventeen when you got pregnant. You wouldn’t let that happen again.”

  “Dating leads to marriage. At least, it should. Sorry, Liv. Aaron and I aren’t going to be a thing this semester.” She didn’t care how attractive he was. Bad boys were nothing but trouble.

  “At least let me meet the eye candy.”

  “How do you know he’s cute?”

  “I can tell from how you talk about him. I want to know how it went from the first word to ‘goodbye.’”

  Sienna laughed. She would indulge Liv. It wasn’t like anything would actually come of her study sessions with Aaron.

  Sienna waited all Thursday for Aaron to text, keeping her phone on the piano while she practiced and checking the screen in between songs.

  He never texted. Ten o’clock came and went without a word, and her stomach curled with disappointment.

  Why did she even care? Yeah, Aaron had flirted. She’d given him her number, but he hadn’t yet followed through. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t text eventually. Maybe he was one of those guys with a stupid rule about waiting so many days after getting a girl’s number before actually using it.

  It wasn’t like they could be more than study buddies anyway. She had rules about relationships that most guys weren’t interested in following. Someone like Aaron—tattoos, dreadlocks, and a smile that said he knew how to have a good time—definitely wouldn’t want her strict brand of dating.

  She needed someone who was a devout Christian, with strong morals and a willingness to wait until marriage. Maybe some girls could date a cute guy just for fun. But Sienna’s one attempt at that had ended with a baby.

  Friday morning, Sienna woke up early, eager to get to History of Television. She arrived twenty minutes early and glanced casually around the nearly empty classroom. Professor Callahan made chicken scratches on the whiteboard again, his back to the room. A girl sat in the front row, doodling in a notebook. There was a couple in the back corner, nuzzling each other’s necks and giggling.

  No Aaron. Of course not—bad boys didn’t come to class early.

  Sienna walked past the back row determinedly and chose a seat in the middle of the room. She flipped down the small tray hidden in the armrest and booted up her laptop, absently doing piano finger exercises as she waited. The soft whir of her computer fan was disconcertingly loud in the eerily quiet room.

  She didn’t need a study group, especially not for a fluff class like this one. It was more practical and efficient to work alone.

  Geez, was Professor Callahan seriously still writing on the board? Sienna squinted, trying to make out even one of the words. A backpack hit the floor. Two students had taken up residence at the end of her row. The seats slowly started to fill, and the noise level rose from awkward silence to a pleasant murmur.

  She caught a flash of brown skin and long hair in her peripheral vision. The chair beside hers squeaked as someone sat down.

  Aaron had sought her out. Sienna’s stomach tumbled with butterflies, and she tried not to smile too widely.

  “Hey.” His voice was deep and sexy, making her arm hairs stand on end. “I see you managed to get here on time today.”

  “Last time was a fluke. Like an idiot, I decided to fly back the day before. My plane was delayed, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I’m usually a very punctual person.”

  “I can see that.”

  He wore a basic gray v-neck tee that looked better than it had any right to. The tattoo on his bicep still teased, half-hidden by his shirt sleeve. What did it say? The script was small and a complicated cursive.

  “We should get that study group worked out,” Aaron said.

  Her ears burned. Had he realized she was staring?

  She should tell him she was too busy for a study group and preferred to work alone. “Sure.” Wait, what? That wasn’t what she was supposed to say.

  Aaron leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Oh gosh, he was wearing red Converse. Adorable. “We can do viewing parties at my apartment every Friday, then discuss the shows afterward. Professor Callahan seems like the type to give challenging quizzes.”

  No, no, no. Going to his apartment was definitely against the rules. Her fingers rapidly tapped out a baroque finger-over-finger exercise on the desk tray. “Dang, I probably won’t be able to come. I’m usually working on Friday nights.”

  “We can pick another day,” Aaron said easily. His arm flexed as he brushed back a dreadlock that had fallen over his shoulder. “I don’t have any night classes this semester, and I set my own hours for work. How are Tuesdays?”

  Was that another tattoo on his neck, hiding behind his hair? She had the sudden urge to brush his hair aside and see for herself. “Maybe it’s easier if we view the shows on our own, then meet to discuss them somewhere on campus.”

  “Where’s the fun in that? I need someone to mock the shows with. You read the viewing list, right?”

  Sienna couldn’t help it—she laughed. “Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous.”

  “See? These shows can’t be watched solo.”

  She wanted to go to his apartment and watch lame TV shows together. Wanted him to casually drape an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled against his side.

  But it only took a moment for casual cuddling to turn into something more. She would never put herself in that position again. It wasn’t worth it.

  “Would we bother your roommate?” she asked. If someone else was around, it wouldn’t break any rules.

  “No. He works long hours as a dancer at a night club and is hardly ever home.”

  That idea was out then. Sienna stifled a sigh. She’d have to be direct. He’d run for the hills any moment now. “I don’t go to guys’ apartments alone. It’s a rule I’ve made for myself.”

  “All right.” He shrugged. Where were the raised eyebrows, the frown of disbelief? “What if we had other people in our study group—would it be okay then?”

  He didn’t seem annoyed. “Yeah, that’d be fine.”

  “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and I really do think the group would be beneficial.”

  “I agree,” Sienna said.

  “Cool. I’ll find some others.” Aaron tapped the shoulder of the girl who sat a seat over and in front of him and extended a hand. “Hey, I’m Aaron. That’s Sienna.”

  Okay then. He meant right now.

  The girl took his hand, shaking it uncertainly. She had a fringe of bangs across her forehead and heart-shaped face. “Kelsey.”

  “Kelsey, Sienna and I want to form a study group. Interested?”

  He had such a casual confidence about him. It was beyond attractive. By the time class started, Aaron had found two other eager and willing participants. They agreed to meet in the commons that afternoon to go over the details.

  All through class, Sienna had a hard time focusing on the lecture. Her eyes kept wandering over to Aaron. He had a strong jaw and thick eyebrows over gorgeous hazel eyes. She thought, from the tone of his skin, he must have some Hispanic blood in him. She caught a flash of the neck tattoo again. A stick? No, that couldn’t be right.

  He caught her looking at him and smiled. Sienna flushed and kept her eyes on the professor for the rest of class.

  When the lecture ended, she expected Aaron to say his goodbyes and disappear. Instead, he waited for her to pack up her laptop and fell in step beside her. Her foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk and she stumbled. Crap. Had he seen that?

  “So what are you majoring in? No, let me guess.” Aaron s
quinted, as though trying to figure out a complicated puzzle. “You seem about as excited for this class as me, so you can’t be one of the film majors. You’re too shy for theater. You don’t move like a dancer.”

  “Hey,” Sienna said, stifling a giggle. He’d definitely seen her trip. “I feel like I should be offended.”

  “Sorry. That must’ve been some other girl who tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.”

  “That could happen to anyone.”

  His eyes sparkled with laughter. “Don’t interrupt me while I’m trying to figure you out. So art, music, or writing. I’m going to guess music. That leaves vocal or instrumental . . .” He pursed his lips, tapping a finger against his chin. “Instrumental. Piano?”

  Sienna couldn’t help feeling impressed. “You’re good at reading people. What tipped you off?”

  “The finger exercises. Are you a composition or performance major?”

  “Performance, although sometimes I compose just for fun. One day, I want to open my own studio.”

  His eyebrows raised. “Wow, ambitious.”

  “Once upon a time.” But Hunter had changed a lot of things.

  She’d dreamed of going to Juilliard her whole life—had even been accepted. By the time the letter came, she’d been pregnant. Juilliard wouldn’t allow her to defer, and Sienna had stayed in Utah and had Hunter instead. They hadn’t accepted her when she reapplied last year. This upcoming audition was her last chance. She was a junior and if she didn’t get in now, it wouldn’t be worth going. The application process was stressful, and the emotional toll was high. She had to put an expiration date on that dream, for her own sanity.

  “You’re not ambitious now?” Aaron’s voice broke into her thoughts.

  The explanation was too heavy for a casual friendship. “Tell me more about you. What’s your major?”

  Aaron didn’t call her on avoiding the question. She liked him more and more with every passing minute. “Graphic design. I used to paint a lot as a kid, but now I mostly focus on digital art.”

  “The tattoo,” she said, the image suddenly making sense. “It’s a painter’s brush. I thought it was a stick.”

  Aaron laughed. He swept his loose ponytail to the side, revealing a small paintbrush and pallet just beneath the hairline on the back of his neck. “Yeah, I got this one back in high school on a dare. My very first tattoo.”

  Her fingers twitched, and she clenched them into fists. Under no circumstances could she run her fingers over that tattoo. “You showed good taste even then. Most high school tattoos are of the regrettable variety.”

  “My parents were definitely not too happy, but I was. I’ve got to go this way. I’ll see you at four in the commons, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Aaron said.

  So was she—more than she’d looked forward to anything in years. And it terrified her.

  After her last class, Sienna headed toward the commons, legs shaky and palms sweating. This was ridiculous. It was just a study group.

  But Aaron would be there.

  She found him underneath a large oak tree dropping its leaves. He sat alone, perched on top of a metal picnic table, shoulders hunched as he studied the textbook in his hands. Dang it, but he was beautiful. The sunlight glistened off his golden-brown skin, and she could see a little furrow in his brow as he read.

  He looked up, his eyes zooming in on Sienna as though sensing she’d arrived. A grin split his face, revealing those crooked front teeth.

  “Hey,” Sienna said.

  “You came.”

  “Were you worried I wouldn’t?”

  Aaron hopped off the table, taking a seat on the bench. “A little.”

  Sienna folded her arms, trying not to let her annoyance show through. “I said I’d come, and I’m a woman of my word.”

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to realize that.”

  Sienna took a seat beside him and motioned to the textbook. “What are you reading?”

  Aaron groaned. “Trying to get through my Spanish homework. I got here about an hour ago to study.”

  “What semester?”

  “Third. It’s my least favorite subject. I should’ve gone for the BS in graphic design instead of the BA.”

  “Yeah, I’m taking French and it’s challenging.”

  Aaron shook his head, the dreadlocks slapping against his back. “It’s not that. I actually can speak Spanish decently well. My parents made me take private lessons for years, and I hated it.”

  Sienna opened her mouth to ask another question, but Kelsey arrived then, her fringe of bangs nearly hiding her eyes.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Glad you could make it, Kelsey.” Aaron smiled, and for a moment Sienna flushed with jealousy.

  “Thanks. Oh, Owen’s here.” Kelsey raised a hand in a shy wave, her cheeks glowing pink. Well, dang—now Sienna felt bad for being jealous. It was obvious Kelsey was crushing hard on Owen.

  A few minutes later, the final group member arrived. Aaron took charge, and they had outlined a schedule and group expectations in no time.

  “We can watch the shows on Tuesdays at my place,” Aaron said. “My roommate’s rarely home.”

  Owen nodded. “Great. Where do you live?”

  “Waverly Apartments. Do you know where that is?”

  “I do,” Sienna piped up. “I live right across the street, at Haverton Apartments.”

  Aaron raised an eyebrow, that slow smile spreading across his lips, making her whole body warm. “Seriously? Cool.”

  They split up the next week’s reading assignment, and then the others left, Rick heading briskly toward the library, and Kelsey following after Owen, her eyes wide and hopeful. The September air had cooled as they spoke, and Sienna zipped up her jacket.

  “Are you headed home?” Aaron asked.

  Sienna nodded, checking her watch. “Usually I’d head to a practice room for a few hours, but I’m playing at a retirement party tonight.”

  “Perfect. I’m heading home now too. Want to walk together?” He nudged her shoulder with his. “I mean, I can go pretend to browse the bookstore and leave in fifteen minutes, if you’d prefer.”

  Sienna laughed, falling into step beside Aaron. “We can walk together.”

  “Excellent. That gives me like thirty minutes to find out all about you.”

  Sienna’s hands tightened on her backpack straps. “Not much to tell.”

  “Family?”

  She let her shoulders relax. Basic questions she could handle. “Two brothers, identical twins that just turned seven.”

  “I’ll bet they keep your mom hopping.”

  “That’s an understatement. ‘Troublemakers’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

  Aaron laughed. “I can imagine.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “Yes, three older sisters. I’m the baby of the family by six years.”

  Time flew by as they talked about the basics, then moved on to discussing their classes. Soon they stopped on the corner outside their apartment complexes.

  “Thanks for joining the study group, Sienna. I know I kind of strong-armed you into it.”

  “Not at all,” Sienna said. “Who knew a class on television would have so many quizzes?”

  “At least we get to hang out, right?”

  Sienna’s stomach twisted and churned. But he’d said it himself—they were just hanging out. “Right.”

  “TV history is my first class on Monday-Wednesday-Fridays. I usually leave about seven-thirty. We could walk together, if you’re headed there at the same time.”

  “I am. Walking together sounds great.” What was she doing? If she wasn’t careful, this would go straight from casual flirting to a full-on crush.

  “Cool. See you.” He crossed the street, hands stuck casually in his pockets, steps confident and sure.

  She already couldn’t wait until Monday.

  Sienna slept in Sunday m
orning. Church services didn’t start until eleven o’clock, and it was only a twenty-minute walk to the building. Her body was exhausted from the first week back at school.

  At nine-thirty, she finally rolled out of bed to take a shower. Jared would probably be at church. She wanted to look her best, even if she had no idea where their relationship stood. They’d been on a few very pleasant dates at the beginning of summer. He’d promised to text while she was in Utah. For a solid month she’d gone swimming with her brothers, had barbecues with the Petersons, and stayed up late watching movies with her parents. But Jared had only texted twice. She didn’t know where that left them.

  Sienna walked into the kitchen a few minutes after ten, adjusting the belt on her high-waisted skirt. Liv sat bleary-eyed at the kitchen table, slowly consuming a bowl of cereal.

  “Back to church already?” Liv asked.

  “Yup. Want to come?”

  “Pass.”

  She wasn’t surprised at Liv’s refusal. Sienna adjusted the belt on her skirt again, then pressed her hands against her stomach, willing it to flatten. “Does this look okay?”

  Liv groaned, putting a hand to her head. “Don’t talk so loud.”

  Sienna sucked in a breath, then released it. She twisted back and forth, feeling the fabric tighten across her waist. “This totally makes me look fat. I should change.”

  “You look fine. The baby belly is all in your head.”

  Sienna sighed and slipped into a pair of heels. She didn’t have time to change anyway.

  The walk to church was comfortingly familiar. Sienna opened the doors and immediately felt the stresses of the past week vanish. The foyer held the same comfortable furniture and photos of Christ she’d seen in church buildings her entire life. Piano music floated into the foyer.

  The sanctuary was still mostly empty. Dark wood pews faced the pulpit. Sienna recognized one of the freshman from the music program at the piano. The notes were technically correct, but she could tell he hadn’t yet taken a composition class—there was nothing original about the piece.

  A couple in their mid-thirties sat on the front pew, and a few other students she recognized from campus were straggled about the room. She waved to a girl from her French class. She scanned the room, looking for a tall, thin man with trendy glasses and styled hair.