Although he tried to minimize the number of friends he made, the same couldn't be said about getting a partner.
Atticus believed that your partner should be your other half, someone who complements you, someone who encourages you to be the best you can be.
When you get your partner, there should be no thoughts like you being afraid he/she would be a distraction; at the very least, that person should push you to work even harder.
Atticus wasn't naive; he, of course, knew that as much as there could be good, there were also bad partners out there.
Especially fools who only think to go for looks and forget what was inside.
Although he had been completely fooled and used by Kira back on Earth, he wasn't one to let that shape his whole life.