"Only if you know what to look for," he assures her, though it's probably for nought. It had been hard to miss, but he doesn't let many things like that pass him by. Her question gets a laugh from him -- not a cruel laugh by any means. He can see where people would get that impression.

"We're not romantic partners, but we are family." So not just his partner, no. "I'm engaged. To a woman." A clarification for clarification's sake. He's too old to get defensive about this stuff.