1 Chapter 1.1

For generations, scandal had haunted the Hamilton's like an avenging spirit. At times, Tyler McBride felt as if the sole purpose of his family's existence has been to provide fodder for the avid gossips of Honoria, Georgia. Yet up until now, he had considered himself immune to the curse.

A straight-A student in high school, town baseball star, college scholarship winner and distinguished graduate, he'd gone directly from law school to Washington D.C., where he'd quickly earned notice as a up-and-coming young statesman. His marriage to a woman from a distinguished and scandal-free old Virginia family had produced two beautiful children, and had generally been regarded to be happy and successful.

Tyler has managed to evade his family legacy for thirty-one years. But he'd just discovered, to his chagrin, that scandal would not accept rejection from a Hamilton. And when it finally made an appearance in Tyler's life, it did so in vengeance. He was finally learning to ignore the whispers, for the most part, but he had never learned to accept them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mary Goldwin and Natalie Hopkins watching him as he pushed a grocery cart down the cereal aisle. Their mouths moved rapidly and he has no doubt he was the subject of their conversation—even though, unlike the scandal-mongers in D.C., they didn't know the unpleasant details of his wife's death nearly a year earlier. No one in Honoria knew, and Tyler intended to keep in that way. "Come on, Tom," he said. "Stop dawdling."

His five-year-old son had stopped to examine a particularly enticing box. "Can we get this one, Daddy?"

Tyler glances at it. Chocolate puffs with chocolate-flavored marshmallows. "Don't think that's a good choice, son. Let's stick with what we've got. Now, come on. Amy's getting hungry."

"Me, too." Tom abandoned the sugar-laden cereal and hurried after his father and sister. "Can I have a Fun Meal? They're giving away race cars this week."

Looking at the shopping cart filled with nutritious food, Tyler almost sighed at his son's daily request for a dry burger and greasy fries accompanied by an inexpensive toy. He tried to give in to the request no more than a couple times a month. "Not tonight, Tom."

From her seat in the shopping cart, fourteen-month old May babbled something incomprehensible. Tyler gave her a distracted smile and pushed the cart past the gossip mavens, hoping they would be content to talk about him without feeling the need to talk to him. Maybe if he pretended not to notice them...

"Tyler. Oh, Tyler, dear."

He would have cursed if his children hadn't been listening. Reluctantly realizing a conversation was inevitable, he stopped and turned, feeling Tom crowding close to him. He made no effort to smile, but he spoke cordially enough. "Good evening, Mrs. Goldwin."

Natalie Hopkins, he noticed l, had bustled away. No Hopkins would be seen associating with a Hamilton—the result of another scandal.

Mary Goldwin, blessed with all the tact of a tornado, moved to stand directly between him and the cash registers. "How have you been, Tyler? We haven't seen you around much lately."

"I've been busy, Mrs. Goldwin."

Her expression changed to one he detested, but had seen far too often during the past year—cloying pity. "Poor dear. It must be difficult for you trying to raise these two adorable children on your own."

Tom presses his face more tightly into Tyler's leg. Tom hates having attention focused on him—especially this sort of attention. Amy babbled and crammed her fist in her mouth, slobbering enthusiastically.

"Precious child," Mary crooned.

Amy blew bubbles, making a sound that summed up the way Tyler was feeling. "Excuse me, Mrs. Goldwin, the kids are hungry. Goodbye."

He moved the cart forward so that she was forced to move aside or risk losing a few toes. She left in a dignified huff when it became obvious that she would pry no interesting comments out of Tyler today.

"Guess you put that old battle-ax in her place." The supermarket checker spoke with satisfaction that bespoke her experience of being on the wrong end of Mary's gossip.

Ignoring her, Tyler waited impatiently to escape the supermarket and get back to the blessed privacy of his own home.

*A/N: Hi, full story is available in my Patreon page, please look for creator Zetar086. Thank you for the support.