To be honest, he really didn’t want to step in and bail Micah out. The whole thing was humiliating.

Marital drama between another couple—whether it was a disaster or not—was none of his business. Why should he be the one losing sleep over it?

If Micah had truly cared about Emma, then he shouldn’t have broken off the engagement in the first place. He should have married her properly and protected her.

But no—Micah had hurt her, left her behind, and abandoned her. Now, after she’d found someone else, he came running back, playing the hero, telling her not to marry her new fiancé, that the man wasn’t good enough for her. Wasn’t that just asking to get punched?

Frankly, the Carter family was right to give him a beating.

He almost wanted to land a few kicks himself.

Still, anger aside, as Emma’s uncle, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

As the saying goes, even a stray dog has its master—you can’t just beat it in front of the owner.

Sheridan, directing his cousins to keep throwing punches, caught sight of Jamison out of the corner of his eye. His expression changed instantly. “Mr. Jamison, about what happened today…”

“Mr. Carter, Micah was in the wrong today, but for my sake, let’s leave it at a lesson learned, all right?” Jamison’s icy features softened with a polite smile, stepping in to plead for Micah.

He’d never spoken to anyone so courteously in his life.

He had his troublesome nephew to thank for that.

Sheridan’s lip was split and bruised, and as he took the napkin Emma handed him, he pressed it to his mouth, his chest heaving with anger.

Seeing Jamison lowering himself for once, Sheridan couldn’t help but chuckle behind his hand. “Well, since you’ve asked, Mr. Jamison, I’ll give you this one.”

He raised his hand. “That’s enough. Break it up.”

The group immediately backed off.

Chapter auO

Micah lay curled up on the floor, groaning in pain. It took him a while before he managed to struggle to his feet.

He glanced over at Jamison and Ivy—and froze in shock.

Ivy was here too!

He hadn’t expected to see her, and for a moment, he just stared, unable to look away.

Clearly, Ivy—who was stunning tonight—had him completely entranced. He nearly forgot he was supposed to be here to “save” Emma.

Sheridan looked him up and down, then spat, “Micah, you’re lucky your uncle’s here today. If it weren’t for him, you’d be picking your teeth off the floor.”

Micah snapped back to reality, still hunched over in pain, but stubborn as ever. “You don’t really love Emma. You’re just using her!”

Sheridan shot back, “And what about you? If you loved her so much, why didn’t you marry her? Why did you call off the engagement?”

He went on, his voice ringing with conviction, “Yeah, I’m no saint, and I don’t pretend to be. But at least I’m honest about it. You, on the other hand, are a real piece of work—chasing after one woman while eyeing another, never making up your mind, acting like some kind of tragic romantic hero.”

Everyone present knew exactly what Sheridan meant.

Micah had started out as Ivy’s boyfriend. After Ivy was swept away, he got involved with Emma. On the day they got engaged, Ivy returned, and suddenly Micah’s feelings rekindled. Then Emma lost their child, the engagement was off, and now, just as Emma was starting a new life, Micah showed up—playing the concerned ex, telling her not to marry, acting like he never stopped loving her.

Sheridan wasn’t wrong to call him out.

All around, guests whispered and gossiped, some already filming the scene on their phones. Micah, perhaps finally sobered up by the mess he’d created, stood frozen in humiliation, not daring to say a word.

It was supposed to be an engagement party, but it had turned into quite the spectacle—one none of the guests would soon forget.

Jamison looked at his disheveled nephew with no trace of sympathy. “Well? What are you waiting for? Apologize to Mr. Carter. Now.”