My boyfriend, who is 24, seeks validation from other women. After I shared my feelings about it, he said he would work on changing this behavior. Can I trust him? I'm 26.

We've been dating for a year and five months, but we've known each other for two years. We met at the gym, and it took some time for us to start dating due to a family crisis I was facing. Once we began our relationship, I quickly fell for him, and he was aware of my feelings. I told him I loved him after five months, and he responded, saying he thought he loved me too. While I don’t dwell on that moment now since I know he loves me, there has always been a sense of hesitance on his part. Recently, we've talked about moving in together. Initially, he didn’t seem keen on the idea, but now he’s open to it. However, after a year of dating, I caught a brief glimpse of his Snapchat contacts and noticed the names of two girls. When I confronted him, he lied and claimed they were just friends. One of the girls had been silenced on his phone because he said she was annoying. As time passed, the situation continued to trouble me, and I checked to see if he followed them. He doesn’t follow one of them, which made me think they might not even know he has a girlfriend. When I raised the issue again, he continued to deny it, but eventually, some truths came out. He admitted that he had messaged both girls first, but insisted there was nothing to worry about, except for the fact that reaching out to them was wrong. He has expressed feelings of needing validation and the thrill of the chase, particularly because he contacted two people from his past. I understand that he doesn’t want to hurt me; he's shared that his previous relationship ended because he cheated, leaving him with guilt, and he’s witnessed how his father's infidelity affected his mother. I genuinely think he’s insecure and seeks validation, but it bothers me that it comes at the expense of my feelings. I know that I shouldn’t stay with someone hoping they’ll change, but I love him and we connect incredibly well; every time we’re together, we have a great time, and he makes me feel happy and comfortable. Sometimes, I worry that my strong feelings for him could be overwhelming and might push him away. I question whether he truly likes me or if he’s just afraid of being alone. I wonder if our feelings are mutual or if he thinks he deserves someone better than me. Am I influencing his decision to be with me when he might not want to? He mentioned that he thinks he loves me, but I wonder if he felt pressured to say it or if my convincing him to move in together played a role. I struggle to move past this because I believe I deserve someone who proudly values being with me, someone who sees me as a blessing. My rocky relationship history makes me crave this connection, and I've never felt this way about anyone before, which is why it's so important to me. But am I making a mistake by holding on? I would appreciate a male perspective on this. Has anyone else experienced similar feelings as my boyfriend? He acknowledges his love for me, shares the reasons why, spends every day with me, and genuinely states that no other girl compares to me. Yet, he still feels the need to maintain connections to his past.