Was it a mistake or did he mean it?

My boyfriend and I were in the car and when he came to a stop he looked over at me. Whenever he looks over at me I always smile and he always reminds me of how much he loves my smile. He pretty much did the same thing today except the first words that slipped out of his mouth were “I love you” and he almost went into a panic but quickly said “I mean I love that smile of yours like I just love it you know what I mean”. He had the biggest smile on his face but he also seemed nervous about what he just said. I keep wondering if he was thinking he loved me in his head but accidentally said it out loud or if he just spoke too quick.