I need advice for a long term relationship, please!

Hi girls! I'm sorry this is a long post, I just really need advice. Okay, so I've been with my boyfriend for a year now, and it's the best relationship either of us has ever been in. But we have never said I love you and it was starting to bother me so I tried talking to him about it. He says that he cares about me, he wants to be with me, I make him happy, he doesn't want to break up with me, and he does really like me romantically- he just doesn't feel like it's love. Obviously, I love him a lot and it's really hurting me that he doesn't love me back. We talked about it and decided that because we make each other so happy now and we do really want to be together, we should stay together for now. And my friend said it took her dad well over a year to realize that he loved her mom, and they're still together and happy after around 20 years, so I have a little hope. And I feel like it's a good sign that he knows he wants to be with me now and likes me a lot still- it's not like he has no feelings for me. I'm just not sure how to work through this. I know that it's still a strong possibility that we're going to break up, but I just don't want to give up on this relationship unless I absolutely have to. Do you have any advice on how to work out issues like this? Am I the only person this has ever happened to? My only two strategies right now are to maybe give him some space, maybe put him more in charge of the relationship a little bit- refrain from initiating sex, not asking him to hang out as much so he can ask me instead, waiting for him to text or call me first, etc. and then also, he said t wouldn't bother him if I said I love you and I made it clear I don't want to say it just to hear him say it back, so I thought that maybe I should start telling him occasionally because hearing it might normalize it and help him realize he does love me. Thoughts?