Wait... she... that... what? She was bringing that up now? Now? Right before he introduced her to his mom?
The timing was ridiculous, but now... now it was stuck in his head. And he couldn't get rid of it. The images were replaying in his mind, and all the things that it didn't lead to then that it could lead to now and...
Dammit.
In a low grumble, he complained, "Your timing sucks, you know."