If i tell him 'i love you' he says it back, but rarely says it first...?

he'll easily tell me over text or when he's drunk. once in a great while he'll call me in the middle of the day just to tell me he loves me. he's very sweet. i dont know why i need the constant affirmation of his love for me. i was raised in a family where we said "i love you" a lot, he was raised in a family where they didnt say it often. (he had never told his parents he loved them until after he met me, i was the very first person he's told)