Would Patrick have cheated on Alice?

Hello! So I just finished reading Now I’ll Tell You Everything and it’s Spectacular!! I was really happy how things ended. My question is, would Patrick ever cheat on Alice if given another chance to? he said he loved her and that “It’s forever, Alice.” and that marrying her was one of the best decisions he ever made, but when he was tempted by Helene,Why was he trying to defend himself and look for justification. He also said that if the circumstances were different and he was put in that situation again, he probably wouldn’t be able to control himself, who tells their wife that? though he did admit that he was talking like an idiot but still, why?

I think it shows just how close they were–that he could tell her all this and be as honest as he was.  And perhaps he realized, sub-consciously, that this works both ways and that she could be tempted too; hearing her say so really brought it home to him.  Also, a couple who is really close can usually tell when the other person is under stress, and if they didn’t talk about it, she might think he was already having an affair.  I believe he did the right thing.