Following his shooting, Robert became one of the show's major protagonists as his relationship with Aaron dominated the events of the series. This long-running story arc involved Robert supporting Aaron upon discovering that he was sexually abused by his father, Gordon (Gary Mavers), as a child; becoming engaged to Aaron and later surprising him with an unofficial wedding between them in 2017; bonding with Aaron's half-sister Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele), and temporally becoming her guardian after Aaron is arrested and sentenced to 12 months in prison – which involved Robert struggling to cope with Aaron's drug use amid serving his prison sentence; their marriage having a breakdown after Robert ends up sleeping with Chrissie's sister Rebecca (Emily Head); and the pair remarrying in 2018 after Robert and Aaron manage to reunite and reconcile over their differences.