[Well now, his attempt at lightening the mood doesn't seem to be working. But that won't deter him, no sir - he just gives her a wide grin as he shakes his head.]

Not at all. If you said no, I would've been disappointed. [He pats his stomach - even though his tone is light, he doesn't seem to be saying it in bad taste.] I've been working on getting a bit of chub on because you instantly get ten times the huggability. That's totally a word.