Is my mid-forties boyfriend really serious about me?

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I (28M) have been dating my boyfriend, Mark, for two years now. We both expressed early on that we were seeking a life partner, with marriage and kids in mind. He had previously been in relationships that never lasted more than a year and had attributed it to his full-time career and not having met the right person yet.

Things seemed to be going well for us until about a year into the relationship when I said "I love you" and he couldn't say it back. I didn't want to force anything and gave him time. He eventually said it back a few months later, but shortly after, he had a freak-out and expressed uncertainty about getting married or having kids. I told him I'd give him time to figure things out, but I made it clear that I wouldn't wait around forever.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, I brought up the topic of moving our relationship forward, either by moving in together or getting engaged. Mark immediately tried to push off moving in together, saying he wants to buy another investment property before taking that step. I felt that this was just an excuse to buy himself more time. I then expressed my desire to get engaged soon since he has stated that he won't have kids unless he is married. He dismissed my request and accused me of just wanting a ring. This hurt me deeply because I am genuinely invested in our future together.

To add to my frustration, he just started therapy for "commitment issues" despite never having been in a bad relationship before. I can't help but feel that he is stalling, even though everyone around him is happily married, including his parents.

I'm torn because I don't want to give ultimatums, but I also don't want to waste my time. We are both in our mid-30s, and if we're going to go down the road of marriage and kids, it's time to start taking concrete steps towards that future. I love him and don't want to leave, but I can't keep living in limbo. Should I handle this differently?