Mostly Higgs just wanted to tell Gemma that a proper relationship was definitely worth giving a go if there was someone she wanted to do it with. However, he was unsure whether he really was currently in a position where such assurances wouldn't sound... empty. But Higgs did think that there were a lot of great things about relationships. "You're a lovely person, Gemma," he settled on in the end, reaching out to give his sister's hand a squeeze. "You should let someone find that out and appreciate it," he advised. It wasn't quite saying that relationships were always great, because Higgs was sure they weren't, but his own unfortunate experiences were hardly an indication of the overall situation.
"And," Higgs said with more of an amused tone. "If that leads to be being an uncle and spoiling your kids rotten, well, I'm hardly going to complain," he told her, a laugh in his voice. They were both aware that Higgs would undoubtedly make an excellent uncle, whenever and if Gemma did decide to have children.