The L word....

I’ve been dating this guy since October of 2017. This past weekend he told me that he love me for the first time. I don’t use the term love loosely & I don’t say it if I truly don’t mean it. I explained that to him early on in the relationship. My response to him was “I really like you a lot & I’m falling for you but I’m not ready to say I love you too”. He understood because he know my history with my previous relationship (toxic, domestic violence & etc.). Do you think it’s too early in the relationship to say I love you?