My mum was huggy and I absolutely knew she loved me although the words weren't use with free abandon, they were when I needed reassurance though. My dad never told me he loved me as a child, but I knew he did, he worked sixty hour weeks in a factory having left school at 14, and when they offered him a watch for having worked there for twenty years he turned it down in favour of something for me and my brother, a computer/pc to do our homework even though he couldn't use one he knew lots of other kids had them, he often told me he was proud of me, (and that whatever I did I needed to get an education) both my parents would run around after us with sports teams etc, we didn't have much money but we did have their time, lots of bike rides in the woods, picnics on the beach etc.
When I went to uni I got a bit more confident and also saw that other people were more vocal with their feelings, so when I went home I would always tell my mum and dad I loved them and hug them, it was a bit weird at first, and my dad would pat me on the back and say you too darling, I'd just started driving and without fail every time I got in the car he'd say to me have a safe journey and still does decades later. Both are more demonstrative now especially with the grandchildren.
I don't think it was anything about them not loving us, they both came from large families mum one of six , dad one of nine and df in particular a very strict Catholic family, family life was busy and hard work. There was never much to go around and no time for fripperies like emotions.
I used to try and hug my paternal gran when I was little and it felt like she would break she was so tiny and so clearly uncomfortable!
They showed us they loved us by putting us first above everything. I don't begrudge that, people communicate differently and times were different.