I am so confused about where I stand with my ex

Tldr; think my ex is headfucking me but not sure has a female friend who I think he prefers talking to over me and I’m very confused.

Okay this is long so please bare with me.

My boyfriend (M25) and I (F25) were together almost 3 years, until I recently discovered that he was emotionally cheating with several different women.

This wasn’t the first time that he’d done it either.

We had decided that we were going to try move on with things, but just date slowly again. He was going to get some help and slowly come back into mine and my son’s (from previous relationship) lives again.

He also has this new female friend that he talks to, and honestly I’m not comfortable with it, given everything that’s happened. I didn’t love the idea in the first place as when we were together the first time I found out he was cheating was bc the girl who was supposedly his “lesbian best friend” he had been dating whilst dating me. but after discovering he’d been sexting other people I DEFINITELY am not 100% on board with it. He’s never met her, they just talk online.

He told me recently, after multiple times expressing how much he loved and cared for both my son and I, that he wanted to be back in our lives and all the rest, that he didn’t think he could handle the pressure of the tornado he’d left behind when he’d been found out. So I said ok good luck, goodbye. Hardest thing I ever had to do… but then he left cakes and a note on my door after a week of NC.

In the note he expressed that he thought what we had was worth fighting for, but he needed time. I slept on whether to respond to this gesture as I was trying to get over it. I then noticed he started following his ex again so I stupidly called him up and said that he can’t be leaving notes at my door then following his ex on social media it is weird. He told me it was laughable I’d even think I could have a say bc he’s “single now and can do what he wants” which maybe he’s right but it was just a huge kick to the stomach.

Then we got talking again and met up, and started texting again but he’s being weird and distant, saying he wants space and can’t promise me anything but then telling me he loves me and sleeping with me.

I made a suggestion that maybe we should take a trip to see his friend that he wants to meet and I think that’s annoyed him? I know it was maybe weird of me to suggest but I know he wants to meet her and I would just feel more comfortable if we went together.

He swears nothings going on but they now speak more frequently than before and even have started calling each other so it makes me more anxious and I really don’t know what’s going on here.

Sorry if this sounds so dumb but I just wanted some perspective and to see if I was being irrational.