Anyone who'd try to argue he's made a poor choice wouldn't deserve an answer anyway. Daryl doesn't think of himself as a romantic, but he has his moments; and more than that he's been fiercely protective of her since long before this seemed like a distant possibility. That hasn't changed. Maybe that's at the heart of why this is so new, so different from anything he's had before; all this is in addition to a deep friendship, not in lieu of it. (That's not to say he's never had close relationships, just not this close. There's a lot to be said for starting from something deeper than infatuation.)

Her response does nothing to dissuade him from his task. Maybe a little to stall him, keeping him kissing her a little longer. He lets her clutching his shirt guide him, stooping to kneel on the floor before her. It's a little too much of a stretch to keep his lips on hers, though, when he leans down to tend to her boots, since getting her pants off over them would be dreadfully difficult.