This is stupid. He’s dating a jealous woman, and he shows up to pick her up after a long separation with another woman in tow? Nobody is that clueless. Bad writing.
Kip doesn’t even seem to like Stef, at least not when she’s vertical. But he lets her control things. That’s a weak man. He and Stef deserve each other.
You’d have to understand what life was like for them coupled up.